Political Communication Studies In Malaysian Chinese Nat Ional Identity

Most modern nation-states have multiple ethnic groups.The national identity construction of these ethnic groups largely affects the quality and level of national construction and development.Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country composed of Malays,Chinese,Indians and a number of indigenous peoples.Its ethnic conflicts have a long history.Among them,the Chinese in Malaysia have faced various"discriminatory policies" in history,which led to a huge crisis in their national identity.In recent years,Malaysian Chinese have shown an increasingly strong sense of national identity.In the process,the Chinese media in Malaysia played an important role in the "setting of the agenda".In order to better understand the political culture of Malaysian Chinese,and grasp the role of mainstream Chinese media in the construction of national identity,this paper explores and evaluates the the specific method used in shaping Chinese identity in the Chinese media based on the analysis of the reasons leading to the enhancement of Chinese national identity.This paper mainly studies the evolution of Malaysian Chinese "ethnic identity"and "national identity" in the history of Malaysia.It is found that Malaysian Chinese have a strong sense of resistance under the high pressure environment and bad political ecology.Through the "Interaction" and "communication" in the process of political participation,as well as the protection and inheritance of Chinese culture,they have realized the construction of identity of this ethnic group.This article elaborates on the history and current situation of the Chinese-language newspapers in Malaysia,focusing on the development of Sin Chew Daily and its important influence in Chinese society,and using text analysis methods to study the news reports of Sin Chew Daily during the 2018 Malaysian elections.It was found that the enhancement of Malaysian Chinese national identity in recent years was mainly due to the policy shift of the Malay government,the active pol:itical participation of the Chinese and the shaping function of the media.Among them,the function of the media is embodied in the "democratization" function of the media,including the formation of public and public spaces,cultivating civic awareness and civic culture;on the other hand,it is embodied in the functions of "setting agenda" and "interpretation".Including"seeking common ground while reserving differences",shaping "collective memory",creating a sense of "participation" and distinguishing between "others".This article takes the report of Sin Chew Daily in the election period as the research object,and analyzes the case of the "14th Malaysian General Election",pointing out that this "change of the dynasty"has opened a gap for the authoritarian politics of Malaysia and promoted the transformation of democratic politics in Malaysia.The "democratization" brought about the establishment of a democratic system played the role of "institutional legitimacy".At the same time,Mahathir-led"Xi Meng" severely cracked down on the corruption of the former government,also shapes identity in the "legality of interests" and "moral legitimacy",this three factors work together to enhance the recognition of the new Chinese government and governors by Malaysian Chinese.However,in a multi-ethnic political society,the conflicts and oppositions between ethnic groups will not disappear in a short period of time.In the history,Malaysian Chinese have suffered a series of "discriminatory"policies that they have been subjected to in the process of resistance.The humiliation and hardships have become immutable "collective memories" imprinted in their minds.Therefore,under the multicultural social environment and objective reality,it is impossible to simply replace or eliminate the original identity with national identity.This paper argues that "ethnic identity" and "national identity" are switched in different "scenarios" and broadly form a consensus of "multiculturalism",which is the most important direction of action for Malaysian Chinese,rulers and Chinese media in the future inter-ethnic integration and national identity construction.