History 9174

By AIU Topic 1: SOUTHEAST ASIA Was the use of culture in nation building more divisive or unifying in independent SEA states? Stand The use of culture in the region met varied outcomes but overall, it can be argued that this strategy was more unifying than divisive. Various cultural policies related to national culture, language and religion were employed and in most cases, an accommodating and multicultural approach was adopted. Para 1 The creation of a national culture can aid in nation-building, but the values propagated would determine whether the national culture espoused was divisive or unifying. burma - burmanization to assimilate minorities into burman culture, schools had burman practices like buddhism, assimilative approach caused unrest from minorities thailand - thai national culture and identity was overtly thai, clear emphasis on buddhism, marginalised minorities such as malay muslims in the pattani region. rise of separatist movements such as the pattani united liberation organisation - assimilative In contrast, indonesia - pancasila national ideology. belief in divine entity but not specifying any religion to reduce animosity between religious groups. values such as social justice were also relevant and suggested the pursuit of equity. Malaysia - adoption of rukunegara in 1970 to heal the divide from the 1969 KL riots. Malaysian national ideology advocated national values such as belief in god, rule of law and good behaviour and morality regardless of ethnicity. - can be unifying if it is largely accommodative Para 2 Another critical aspect of culture is language and contrasting outcomes of Burma and Malaysia highlight how it can be both divisive and unifying, depending on whether the government accords respect to minority cultures.

burma - priority given to teaching of burmese language, sidelining vernacular languages. in order to erode western culture, use of english was banned, further infuriating minorities, Karens established separate school system to preserve their culture malaysia - selection of malay as national language was well-reasoned and hence accepted by minorities, complemented by protection of vernaculars, accomodating the needs of minorities, making them more likely to attend the national school system thus inculcating national values and ideals. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, governments select a neutral working language, or even a minority language as the national language. Such cultural strategies are also effective in uniting the nation. singapore - english as working language effective in uniting the nation as english was widely accepted and fostered communication across groups. vernaculars taught actively in school to preserve culture of each ethnic group. policy of bilingualism, minimised animosity between groups. all 4 languages were recognized as official languages. indonesia - bahasa indonesia as national language over the majority javanese, signalling the accommodating stance and assuage minority fears of javanisation. Para 4 - again overlaps Yet another cultural strategy utilised by Southeast Asian states is religion and the selected would determine whether it was divisive or unifying. The promotion of a majority religion often split the nation while advocating freedom of religion has the ability to unite. burma - promoted buddhist religions against minority christians and muslims. government measures to repress minority culture through complicated processes for the building of religions monuments and newly built churches torn down. strengthened the resolve of ethnic nationalist and deepened the divide. indonesia - recognized the five main faiths as equal and allowed the right to profess and practise their respective religions. Para 5 Lastly, the treatment of culture in terms of how each was celebrated also determined its effect. In states where only majority culture is commemorated, cohesion remained elusive, but in states where multiculturalism is celebrated, unity was attainable. thailand - various buddhist celebrations were commemorated while other religious holidays were not included as national holidays singapore - multiculturalism is well practised with celebrations such as racial harmony day, important religious festivals are mandated as public holidays allowing singaporeans to preserve their culture and carry out their practices freely

- Accommodation vs assimilation - Can’t make sure stand on one tool Assess the significance of the Cold War context in shaping politics of post independent SEA Stand the Cold War context was only significant in shaping broad political developments, but was not significant for the distinct nuances in the specific forms of democracies or authoritative regimes formed in Southeast Asia, which is better accounted for by the specific local conditions of each state at the time. Para 1 - decolonisation experience The Cold War context influenced the initial choice of democracy as the intensification of Cold War tensions coincided with decolonisation. The Western powers saw the rampant spreading of communism not just in Europe but also in Asia with the Korean War in the early 1950s. burma, malaysia and singapore, elections were held even before independence. british made preservation of democracy a prerequisite for independence, especially due to diverse ethnic profiles. Hence, the British prepared its colonies for democracy prior to independence.- political elites influenced by western ideals burma - elections were held in 1947, where aung san afpfl won majority. This familiarised the population to democratic practices and helped ensure the continuation of elections after independence in 1948. malaya - the British held federal elections in 1955 in which the Alliance won a huge majority of seats, preparing colony for a long tradition of elections after independence in 1957. Singapore had elections in 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1963 in addition to a referendum about the Merger with Malaya held in 1962. Para 2 -communist threat The Cold War context also influenced the rise of authoritarianism. In the Cold War context, various communist groups were set up to spread communism in their own states. These groups destabilised the country and shifted most states towards authoritarianism to maintain law and order. burma - white flag communists started insurgency in 1948, u nu lost control and military coup in 1962 led by ne win transitioned burma into a military dictatorship singapore - elements of authoritariani