Multiculturalism in Malaysia

Multiculturalism in Malaysia

By: Luis A. Vélez Pretelt

To know Malaysia is to have the ability to admire an incredible place where the teeming and bustling mix of different races and religions give a special lifestyle of its inhabitants.

Malaysia is a multicultural nation where people are proud to live in a peaceful and tolerant manner despite the great ethnic and religious diversity. They regard themselves as a pluralistic society whose motto is "Unity is strength". More than half of the population is Muslims, followed by Buddhists, Taoists, Christians, Hindus and a small proportion of so-called tribal religions. Malays are the largest community and the vast majority of them profess Islam. The Chinese presence and influence are very important, representing a third of the population. Hindus are about 10%.


This is evident in the architecture, in restaurants and in the many temples there are scattered around the city. Similar to other countries in the region, Malaysia has maintained in recent years, a sustained economic development and political stability that have become a prosperous nation in the region, although not as rich or powerful as Thailand and less than Singapore.

While visiting Kuala Lumpur, we saw that is one of the Asian cities that attract attention by its powerful infrastructure. It has several subway lines, numerous elevated tracks and large buildings of modern design, like the Petronas Towers, which for many years were the highest in the world. 

Multiculturalism in Malaysia can also be evidenced in ethnic neighborhoods in Kuala Lumpur, such as the Chinese and Indian. Also in terms of its gastronomy we were able to find various street streets from various countries of the ethnic groups that make up the nation. For sure Chinese cuisine is dominant and there is also a popular combination of this with Malay ingredients.


My favorite part of the city was Bukit Bintang and the best place to eat is in Jalan Alor. We had the opportunity to go to dinner with Professor Heng and the rest of my colleagues and these are some of the dishes we got. Please do not forget to try the coconut ice cream and remember to put some corn to it, yes, corn!!

By: Luis A. Vélez Pretelt