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OVERVIEW
The Maritime Connection - Indonesia and Malaysia
This
video program features two case studies that focus on
maritime countries in the region of Southeast Asia and
South Pacific: Indonesia: Tourist Invasion
and Multicultural Malaysia. The cultural
impact of economic development poses a unique challenge
for both Indonesia and Malaysia. While each struggles
to become industrialized, the ethnic composition and
cultural variety of their people present their own set
of promises and problems.
The
first case study, Indonesia: Tourist Invasion,
examines Bali, an island in the Indonesian archipelago.
The government supports tourism development for the
economic benefits it brings to Indonesia, including
training and employment for the Balinese people as well
as foreign currency from both tourists and property
investors. A large resort area, Nusa Dua, serves as
a magnet for tourists from across the globe. The growth
of the Nusa Dua complex provides employment opportunities
for the local population and other Indonesians while
diverting migration from the crowded capital city of
Jakarta.
But
tourist development is not without problems. Kuta, the
island's oldest tourist area, displays overdevelopment,
crowding, cultural dislocation, and environmental damage
-- the results of tourism gone rampant. With the influx
of large numbers of foreigners, the Balinese worry about
the erosion of traditional culture, religion, and family
values.
The
update to this case study includes commentary by Dr.
Melinda Meade and discussion of Indonesia's physical
geography, development of the tourist industry, and
its effect on indigenous cultures.
The
second case study, Multicultural Malaysia,
examines Malaysia, a country at the historical crossroads
of maritime trade between China, India, and the Arabian
Peninsula. Malaysia's ethnic composition consists of
approximately sixty percent Malay, thirty percent Chinese,
and ten percent Indian. The village of Rengit, located
183 miles (300 kilometers) southeast of the capital
city of Kuala Lumpur, provides insight into the relationship
among people of different ethnic groups. Many farmers
in the region are ethnic Malay who grow oil palms, the
main source of income for most of Malaysia's farmers.
In Rengit, as in much of Malaysia, ethnic Chinese often
act as commercial brokers, in this case for the local
oil palm trade.
As
more ethnic Chinese develop business opportunities in
Malaysia, their growing economic power and land holdings
are changing the structure of the agricultural and urban
sectors. The resulting Chinese economic dominance led
to riots in 1969, pitting Malays against Chinese. To
reduce the economic gap among different ethnic groups
and to promote social harmony, the government embarked
on a policy of Bumiputera or "Malays First."
The policy begins with education and employment and
extends across the entire range of social relations.
Rather
than allow economic forces create disproportionate power
for one ethnic group over others, Malaysia's policy
of Bumiputera strives to balance customs, lifestyles,
and educational opportunities, even as preferences for
the Malay majority are promoted. The resulting peaceful
coexistence of Malaysia's different ethnic and religious
groups has contributed to the country's booming economy
and remarkable growth over the past twenty-five years.
Updates
to this program include Dr. Melinda Meade commenting
on government policies to encourage greater economic
integration for Malay people, the diversity of ethnic
and religious groups, and Malaysia's desire to become
a telecommunications hub to rival Singapore.
Video
Key Words
Indonesia
- Geographical
Roots of the Tourist Economy
- Effect
of Tourism on Indigenous Culture
- Cultural
Diversity of Indonesia
Malaysia
- Unity
of a Physically and Culturally Diverse Society
- Asian
Economic Tiger
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