A changing society
The growth of the export economy did not only change money and trade; it changed society deeply. The biggest change was the arrival of large numbers of immigrants from China and India to work in the tin mines and rubber estates. Together with the local bumiputera, they made our country a multi-ethnic society.
A plural society
These groups tended to live and work in different places and different jobs. Many Malays stayed in villages as farmers and fishermen; many Chinese worked in tin mining and business in the towns; many Indians worked on rubber estates. Because the communities lived side by side but mixed little, historians call this a plural society. This pattern later made building national unity harder.
Key idea
Economic development created a plural society: different ethnic groups living in the same country but separated by where they lived, the work they did, the schools they attended and the languages they spoke.
Towns, schools and services
Mining and trade made towns such as Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh grow, so more people lived in towns. Different vernacular schools appeared — Malay, Chinese and Tamil — plus English schools, so children of each group often learned separately. New health services, hospitals and better transport also came. These changes brought progress but also new social divisions that Malaysia still works to overcome.
Remember
- Immigration created a multi-ethnic society.
- Plural society: groups separated by place, job, school and language.
- Towns grew because of mining and trade.
- Vernacular schools: Malay, Chinese, Tamil, plus English schools.