Melayu Mahawangsa: menyorot kembali, melangkah ke hadapan

Abstract

This article describes the condition of the Malay society and civilisation which has built a glorious civilisation at its peak, although its centre moved form one place to another in the Malay Archipelago. Even today from quantitative point of view, the Malay language family is the fourth in the world (300 millions) and among the Muslim society, Malay speakers make up the biggest number in the world (250 millions). With the coming of the western colonial powers in the 16th century, the centres of Malay civilisation fiell one after another to the colonialists, till in the 19th century it was totally vanquished by the British, Dutch and Spanish. After the middle of 20th century the Malay world gained independence and have the opportunity to build their civilisation again. However, new form of western colonisation namely globalization and hegemony in culture, economy, knowledge, philosophy, information and communication technology as well as in politic and international relation once again dominate and captivate the world. To counter and confront this negative aspect of globalization and hegemony, this article put forward several strategies.