Institutionalized Racial Preference in Malaysia and Singapore’s Social Stability and Economic Growth: A Comparative Analysis

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-509-6_62How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Racial Tension; Economic Policy; Social Cohesion; Ethnic Inequality

Abstract

In the wake of decolonization, Malaysia and Singapore emerged as multiethnic nations grappling with deep-rooted racial tensions, particularly between the Malay and non-Malay communities. This essay examines how the 1964 Singapore riots and Malaysia’s 1969 May 13 Incident demonstrate ethnic tension and shaped national strategies for managing race relations. While Singapore adopted a multicultural, meritocratic approach emphasizing inclusiveness and economic pragmatism, Malaysia pursued preferential policies that prioritized the socioeconomic uplift of the Malay majority. These contrasting frameworks permeated cultural, educational, and economic policies, producing significantly different social and developmental outcomes. This paper investigates the extent to which Malaysia’s institutionalized racial preferences, compared to Singapore’s emphasis on social cohesion and economic pragmatism, have influenced social conflict, economic outcomes, and societal development. Through a comparative analysis, this essay argues that Malaysia’s race-targeted redistribution addressed short-term ethnic grievances but entrenched inefficiencies, while Singapore’s race-neutral growth strategy fostered cohesion through shared prosperity. It provides a general suggestion for nations facing similar challenges.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Boxu Li
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/15
TI  - Institutionalized Racial Preference in Malaysia and Singapore’s Social Stability and Economic Growth: A Comparative Analysis
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Mental Growth and Human Resilience (MGHR 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 571
EP  - 580
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-509-6_62
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-509-6_62
ID  - Li2025
ER  -