| Throughout Malaysian history, governmental policy toward the ethnic Chinese has had a profound effect on the acculturation of this group. Equally important are the cultural attitudes that have produced and perpetuated these policies. Because of these attitudes and policies, tension has developed both between and within the ethnic Chinese and Malay groups regarding the acculturation of the ethnic Chinese. The Malays, wanting to assert political dominance over the ethnic Chinese, encouraged the separation of the ethnic Chinese by marginalizing them socially and economically. The ethnic Chinese have had to struggle to maintain their right to membership in Malaysian society, trying to simultaneously preserve their culture while asserting a degree of acculturation into Malay society. Today, while ethnic tensions have softened between the two groups, relations are still somewhat strained. |
