1. Name: A Short History of Malaysia : Linking East and West
2. Author: Virginia Matheson Hooker
3. Genre: Non Fiction/History
4. Book Post No. : 62
5. What is it about? Mention Malaysia and one perhaps thinks of two things. One is the Petronas Twin Towers and the other the capital Kuala Lumpur. Maybe a smaller number of people may recall its memorable tourism campaign; “Malaysia. Truly Asia”. After reading this book the reader will fully understand why its so apt. It traces the evolution of a nation situated along one of the most important shipping routes in history. Throughout its history, people of diverse ethnicities have populated this land, including the Chinese, Indian Tamils, Malays, and indigenous groups shaping its unique structure. The book traces the history of the land beginning with the period before the first influential kingdom of the area, Melaka Sultanate, through it and the periods of occupation by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British, and concludes with the modern period.
6. How I came to read it? Readers who know me well will know immediately why I would pick this book up.
7. Did I like it? Yes, its a neat and concise history of Malaysia. I did not know much about Malaysia’s history except having heard of the Malacca straits and the influence of the Srivijay Kingdom. After this book, now I know much more about it.
Malaysia’s strategic location on the Malay Peninsula placed it in proximity to powerful kingdoms, including the Chinese and Thai to the north, Indonesian to the south, and South Indian empires. The Malaysian Kings and Sultans had to be masters of diplomacy in such an environment and they became such. The lessons learned and the methods that were developed in those times are still put into use today. Virginia deftly handles these complex equations and ensures that the reader does not get caught too much in the complexities and keeps the narration moving.
The book answers a few questions I had about Malaysia prior to reading it. One was how did Malaysia’s population become so diverse? There are Chinese, Tamils and Malays forming the majority of the population today. Another was how did Malaysia become a Muslim country?
Contrary to the popular perception these days that Islam spread by the sword everywhere, the rulers of Malaysia choose to adopt Islam by themselves. There were no military conquests.
I picked up this book mostly to know Malaysia’s pre Independence history but the narration around its independence and later years was absolutely engrossing. Like India, Malaysia struggled with decolonization and with bringing different parts of the country together. So it was good to learn about another country’s experience with similar problems.
8. Positives: To the point, concise history of a complex nation, good coverage of the post Independence era.
9. Negatives: At some points it almost comes off as the author feels that colonization was a positive point in Malaysia’s history. I tried to check myself at times thinking maybe I am being a bit biased in my thinking but there are multiple instances in the book where the author makes remarks that seem pro colonization.
10. Any other personal notes, observations, fun facts etc.
Singapore used to be a part of Malaysia before it was expelled in 1965.