Malaysia has for decades reserved special privileges for the majority ethnic Malay in the face of minority ethnic Chinese and Indians. In the face of these allegations of misconduct, the BN has reverted to using race rhetoric to regain its power in politics in the face of an election that many believe will be called in 2017. This is illustrated by the ongoing investigations of Prime Minister Najib Razak, leader of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), who is currently being scrutinized for his role in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and stands accused of siphoning over 700 million USD from the 1MDB state development initiative for his own personal use. Malaysia continues to experience inter-ethnic tensions, particularly during moments of crisis, often actively encouraged by political parties with a vested interest in stoking friction as a distraction from scandals around misgovernance and corruption. For their part, most though not all Indians are Hindus, while the Chinese are generally Buddhists or Christians. The vast majority of ethnic Malays are Sunni Muslims of the Shafi’i school of thought, while many of the indigenous communities from Sabah and Sarawak are Christians or Muslims.
Indigenous people, broadly grouped as Anak Negeri, Orang Ulu and Orang Asli, are thought to collectively comprise approximately 13.9 per cent of the population. The Chinese constitute the country’s largest minority at approximately 24 per cent.
Ethnic Malays constitute today just over half of the population. Malaysia is ethnically diverse as a result of the long-established human presence in the region as well as its location as a passage for people moving south from ancient times. Main minority groups: Chinese 7.4 million (23.4 per cent), Indians 2.2 million ( 7 per cent), Anak Negeri (2.2 million), Orang Ulu and Dayak (1.9 million), Orang Asli ( 205,000) Main religions: Islam (official), Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Sikhism, animism Main languages: Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects, Tamil