is Malaysia mimicking the West?

After the Cold War in the midst of rising Western dominance and influences in global politics, the resistance against Western influences by Asian nations became both concentrated and widespread. Korff argued that Malaysia presented prominent traits of “ambivalence bordering contradiction” in its engagements with the process of globalisation and modernization through Malaysian architectures with notions of “mimicking of the West” (2001).

However, in terms of media discourses, Malaysia is far from a Western imitation. According to Press Freedom, the media in Malaysia is not free from Western style liberal press system– “traditionally constrained by significant legal restrictions and intimidation” (2007). Thus, in my research paper, using relevant theoretical approaches and cultural and political discourses, I will examine Malaysia as a case study to argue that the notion of Asian values is a way to overcome the libertarianism perspective as a universal model.

For Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the process of globalization brings about the definition of “Westernisation and the acceptance of Western business standards and political systems around the world”(Wong, 2004). Wong also noted that Mahathir felt that globalization was a threat to Malaysia’s national identity as he called on “Malaysians to be 'suspicious' of and 'beware' globalisation”. Nevertheless, Mahathir’s reaction toward globalization cannot be seen as a rejection but rather a “more selective engagement” with the process itself (2004).

Reference

Korff, R. (2001). Globalisation and Communal Identities in the Plural Society of Malaysia. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 22(3) (pp. 270-283).

Freedom House. (2007). Map of Press Freedom: Malaysia. Freedom House. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=251&year=2007

Wong, L. (2004). Mahathir, Malaysia and Globalisation: Challenging Orthodoxy. Globalization (2004). Retrieved October 9, 2008, from http://globalization.icaap.org/content/v4.2/wong.html