KUALA LUMPUR: A Universiti Malaya (UM) survey shows that there is a general acceptance of the 1Malaysia concept by Malaysians overall, although each ethnic group in the country has its own narrow reservations.

"In other words, Malaysians are concerned about the impact of 1Malaysia on their public life and personal inter-relations. Thus, the challenge is on the national and grassroots leaders to translate rhetoric into reality," said UM's International Institute of Public Policy and Management (Inpuma), which carried out the survey from May to July 2011.

Based on the results of the survey, Inpuma felt that the Government also needed to constantly assure all communities of their place in Malaysia.

"In order to narrow the perceptual gap, inter-ethnic relations within the framework of state and society must not be conceived in 'zero sum' terms. Rather, institutions and policies must be seen to be inclusive and equitable - in balancing the majority and minority interests," it said.

"Put it another way, the distinction between majority and minority (important as it is in the context of Malaysia's nation-building approach) is not one of "alterity" (or being different). But differentiation offers scope and space for complementarity where the nation draws strength from each ethnic community, Inpuma said.

Without the rich kaleidoscope of ethnic diversity, Malaysia is all the more bereft of her exceptionalism, it said, adding that both the majority and minority contribute to Malaysia achieving her full potential.

As a country, Inpuma said Malaysia had indeed come a long way in managing national unity and solidarity.

The survey showed that a majority of the respondents (79%) felt that the Government has succeeded in creating awareness on the 1Malaysia concept amongst Malaysians from all walks of life.

The survey had 2,480 respondents in all. They included students from both the public and private institutions of higher education, households, civil servants and private sector employees from the states of Johor (Pasir Gudang, Muar and Batu Pahat), Terengganu (Kuala Terengganu), Selangor (Shah Alam and Gombak) Kuala Lumpur (Setiawangsa, Titiwangsa and Kepong), Penang (George Town) and Sarawak (Kuching).

The majority also understood that 1Malaysia is a concept to promote national unity and equality.

Although the sample of bumiputra respondents from Sabah and Sarawak was small, their understanding of 1Malaysia was more significant (78%).

The results of the survey show that the receptivity of the Sabah and Sarawak bumiputeras towards 1Malaysia is higher (79%) compared with the respondents in the peninsula (68%).

This was also in line with public perception that the bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak had all along practised the 1Malaysia concept, Inpuma said.

"It is clear that problems pertaining to inter-ethnic relations are more prevalent in peninsular Malaysia, and more efforts should be taken to address the issue of national unity by the Government," it said.

Inpuma said most of the respondents viewed the 1Malaysia philosophy as well received by the majority of the Malaysian people.

The Malay community (74%) was seen as more ready to embrace the 1Malaysia concept in comparison with the other ethnic groups.

"This is consistent with the attitude of the ethnic Chinese and Indians (11%) who opine that the 1Malaysia concept is a mere political ploy to secure electoral gains. This response is not matched by the Malay respondents (only at 4%)," it added.

Inpuma said there was therefore a perceptual gap between the Malays on the one hand, and the Chinese and Indians on the other on the reality of 1Malaysia.

"This could be due to the Chinese and Indians being more concerned about the actual practice of 1Malaysia than the concept itself."

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