Abstract—The concept of Wasatiyyah or moderation was
proposed by current Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak, with
the aims of fostering harmony among the diverse ethnics in the
country. Even though some negative perceptions were voiced
by a few parties, but the actual intentions could result in a
decline of racial strains, as being moderate has been the
practice of the Malay community and its leaders for ages. In
fact, this approach has contributed to the success of the Malay
community in securing independence from the British in an
amicable manner, without having to resort to spilling a lot of
blood. Based on previous research, it was observed that the
concept of Wasatiyyah had a great influence on the Malays, as
it had a strong link with the values of budi-Islam that have
been embedded in the Malay community. The budi-Islam
values are the main elements that shape the Malays’ conduct,
and it is the results of interaction with social norms, for it has
bred certain social values that include compromise, modesty,
respect and cooperation as transpired when Malays interact
among themselves or with other communities. The main goal
for the Malays is to maintain peace in the society. Hence, when
Najib announced the enhancement of the concept of
Wasatiyyah in bracing racial ties in Malaysia; the study finds
that it is not exactly a new concept, but more towards a
reinforcement of a Malay leader’s traditional administration
approach when interacting with the community. Based on
textual analysis, the study determines that the concept of
Wasatiyyah concept or moderation is part of the social values
borne out of the Malays’ values of budi-Islam.
Index Terms—Ethnic relations, malay community, the
concept of
Wasatiyyah, the values of
budi-Islam.
Wan Norhasniah Wan Husin is with the National Defence University of
Malaysia, Sungai Besi Camp, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (e-mail:
hasni_wan02@yahoo.com, hasniah@upnm.edu.my).
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Cite:Wan Norhasniah Wan Husin, "The Relationship between the Concept of Wasatiyyah and the Values of Budi-Islam in Reinforcing Ethnic Relations in Malaysia," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 528-531, 2013.