The State, Development and Identity in Multi-Ethnic Societies: Ethnicity, Equity and the Nation (Routledge Malaysian Studies)

245 Pages·2008·1.19 MB·English

by  Nicholas Tarling

The State, Development and Identity
in Multi-Ethnic Societies
Ethnicity, equity and the nation
This book challenges the widely held belief that an authoritarian political system is
necessary to ensure communal co-existence in developing countries where ethnic
minorities have a considerable economic presence. It tests the assumptions behind
these arguments, discussing ethnic communities, identity, economy, society and
state, and the links between them, in a range of countries in East Asia, Southeast
Asia and the Pacific and diaspora communities of Asian peoples in the West. The
country studies provide evidence on two key issues that raise concerns about the
call to governments in multi-racial developing countries to avert communal conflict
by limiting civil liberties until economic equity is achieved among all ethnic
groups: first, that ethnic communities are by no means a homogenous group who
share a collective identity; and second, that intra-ethnic patterns of enterprise devel-
opment are dissimilar and corporate decisions by business people are not deter-
mined by factors such as the need to expand communal equity ownership.
This book highlights the complexity of ethnic and national identity, revealing
how such identifications have evolved over time and how members of racial
groups tread varied paths and undergo differing degrees of incorporation into
mainstream society. The emergence of new forms of identification within recent
generations of minority ethnic groups undermines the argument that these com-
munities function as a cohesive unit in an economy. It also shows that the primary
factors that contribute to ethnic conflict include the divisive politics of ethnicity
and religion by self-serving and reactionary politicians and race-based policies
introduced to rectify social injustices but which actually contribute to tribulations
in the long term.
Nicholas Tarlingis Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Auckland
and Fellow of the New Zealand Asia Institute. He was also Visiting Professor at
the University of Brunei Darussalam and Honorary Professor at the University of
Hull. He has published 34 books and about 90 articles and edited the Cambridge
History of Southeast Asia.
Edmund Terence Gomez is Research Coordinator at the United Nations
Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). He also holds the post of
Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University
of Malaya.
Routledge Malaysian Studies Series
Published in association with Malaysian Social Science Association (MSSA)
Series editors
Mohammed Hazim Shah, University of Malaya
Shamsul A.B., University Kebangsaan Malaysia
Terence Gomez, United Nations Research Institute for
Social Development, Geneva
The Routledge Malaysian Studies Series publishes high quality scholarship that
provides important new contributions to knowledge on Malaysia. It also signals
research that spans comparative studies, involving the Malaysian experience with
that of other nations.
This series, initiated by the Malaysian Social Science Association (MSSA) to
promote study of contemporary and historical issues in Malaysia, and designed to
respond to the growing need to publish important research, also serves as a forum
for debate on key issues in Malaysian society. As an academic series, it will be
used to generate new theoretical debates in the social sciences and on processes
of change in this society.
The Routledge Malaysian Studies Series will cover a broad range of subjects
including history, politics, economics, sociology, international relations, geogra-
phy, business, education, religion, literature, culture and ethnicity. The series will
encourage work adopting an interdisciplinary approach.
1. The State of Malaysia 5. Politics in Malaysia
Ethnicity, equity and reform The Malay dimension
Edited by Edmund Terence Gomez Edited by Edmund Terence Gomez
2. Feminism and the Women’s 6. Privatization in Malaysia
Movement in Malaysia Regulation, rent-seeking and
An unsung (r)evolution policy failure
Cecilia Ng, Maznah Mohamad Jeff Tan
and tan beng hui
7. The State, Development and
3. Governments and Markets in Identity in Multi-Ethnic
East Asia Societies
The politics of economic crises Ethnicity, equity and the nation
Jungug Choi Edited by Nicholas Tarling and
Edmund Terence Gomez
4. Health Care in Malaysia
The dynamics of provision,
financing and access
Edited by Chee Heng Leng and
Simon Barraclough
The State, Development
and Identity in
Multi-Ethnic Societies
Ethnicity, equity and the nation
Edited by Nicholas Tarling and
Edmund Terence Gomez
First published 2008
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USAand Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library,2008.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2008 Editorial selection and matter, Nicholas Tarling and
Edmund Terence Gomez; individual chapters, the contributors
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
The state, development, and identity in multi-ethnic societies:
ethnicity, equity and the nation/edited by Nicholas Tarling and
Edmund Terence Gomez.
p. cm.—(Routledge Malaysian studies series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Ethnicity—Asia. 2. Minorities—Asia. I. Tarling, Nicholas. II. Gomez,
Edmund Terence.
HN655.2.M84S73 2008
305.800959—dc22 2007031267
ISBN 0-203-93216-1 Mastere-bookISBN
ISBN10: 0–415–45178–7 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–93216–1 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–45178–9 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–93216–2 (ebk)
Contents
List of figures vii
List of tables ix
Notes on contributors xi
Preface and acknowledgements xiii
Introduction: modernization, democracy, equity and identity 1
EDMUND TERENCE GOMEZ
1 Ethnicity 18
NICHOLAS TARLING
2 Inter-ethnic relations, business and identity: the Chinese
in Britain and Malaysia 31
EDMUND TERENCE GOMEZ
3 Beyond reductionism: state, ethnicity and public policy
in plural societies 57
EMILE KOK-KHENG YEOH
4 Ethnic identity formation: the case of second generation
Chinese and Vietnamese in the United States 97
REBECCA KIM
5 A world on fire? Some notes on Burma 122
ALFRED OEHLERS
6 Hidden in plain view: Singapore’s race and ethnicity policies 134
NICOLE TARULEVICZ
vi Contents
7 The state and public policies, civil society and identity
formation in multi-ethnic societies: the case of the
Chinese in the Philippines 154
TERESITA ANG SEE
8 The politics of redefining ethnic identity in Indonesia:
smothering the fires in Lombok with democracy 172
KENDRA CLEGG
9 Development of China’s ethnic minority areas:
the state and the market 185
XIN CHEN
10 Public policies and ethnic relations in Sri Lanka 205
S.T. HETTIGE
11 A nation within? Maori people and autonomy in New Zealand,
1840–2004 216
DANNY KEENAN
Index 225
Figures
3.1 Ethnic and class relations in Malaysia 59
3.2 Ethnic and class relations resulting from imperialism 60
3.3 Spain: the autonomous communities and non-Castilian
ethnolinguistic distribution 62
3.4 Spain: public resources distribution by region, 1985 63
3.5 Spain: public resources distribution, 1985 63
3.6 Spain: decentralization of government expenditure – the
first two decades 64
3.7 Spain: total expenditure as percentage of GDP at all levels of
government 65
3.8 Spain: total expenditure, current and capital expenditures – ratio
of regional and provincial governments to central government 65
3.9 Belgium: ethnolinguistic regions 74
3.10 Vertical vs horizontal ethnic division 76
3.11a Ethnic composition of west (Peninsular) Malaysian states 79
3.11b Ethnic composition of east (Borneo) Malaysian states 79
3.12a Ethnic diversity of west (Peninsular) Malaysian states 80
3.12b Ethnic diversity of east (Borneo) Malaysian states 80
3.13 Dominant–subordinate relations and class structure 82
3.14 Malaysia: trends in public sector finance (public expenditure
and surplus/deficit as percentage of GNP) 86
3.15 Malaysia: NFPE investment 87
3.16 Malaysia: public and private investment as percentage
of GNP 87
3.17 Malaysia: ratios of public to private consumption and
investment 88

Tables
2.1 Inter-ethnic business ties: companies owned by British
Chinese and other British 40
3.1 Typology of dominant–subordinate relations 70
7.1 Percentage distribution of the 1990 Top 1000 corporations
(public and private): ownership classified according to
government, nationality and ethnic groups 166
7.2 Frequency of distribution of the Top 10, Top 30 and
Top 50 corporations: ownership classified according to
government, nationality and ethnic groups 167
7.3 Percentage share of ‘Chinese’ banks in the Philippines
banking system, June 1993 168