page_title: Malayisation
section_title: Indonesia
hierarchical_section_title: Malayisation / Contemporary events / Indonesia
caption_attribution_description: Istana Miamun ('Maimun Palace') in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia
context_page_description: Malayisation or Malayization is a process of assimilation and acculturation, that involves acquisition or imposition of elements of Malay culture, in particular, Islam and the Malay language, as experienced by non-Malay populations of territories fully controlled or partially influenced by historical Malay sultanates and modern Malay-speaking countries. It is often described as a process of civilisational expansion, drawing a wide range of indigenous peoples into the Muslim, Malay-speaking polities of Maritime Southeast Asia. Examples of Malayisation have occurred throughout Asia including in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
  An early form of Malayisation occurred during the territorial and commercial expansion of Melaka Sultanate in the 15th century, which spread the Classical Malay language, culture, and the religion of Islam to the Maritime Southeast Asia. Following the demise of Melaka in the early 16th century, instances of this assimilation of people from different ethnic origins into Malay culture, continued under numerous Malay-Muslim sultanates that emerged in Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.
context_section_description: Historically, Indonesia was home to a number of Malay sultanates that were involved in the process of Malayisation throughout the archipelago. Three main elements of Malayisation; Malay monarchy or fealty to Malay ruling sultan, the preeminence of Malay identity (which include superiority of ethnic Malay and Malay language), and supremacy of Islam as the official religion, has no official recognition in modern Indonesian statehood. This is mostly because the pluralism and diversity policy enshrined in Pancasila national ideology that avoid domination of certain group over another.
  Contrary to Brunei and Malaysia, a major component of Malayness  — fealty to a ruling sultan — was removed from the modern Indonesian republican ideology. The formation of the Java-centered Indonesia saw the effective destruction of the functioning of the Malay sultanates. Indonesian republican outlook regard monarchy as a form of ancient feudalism and incompatible to modern democratic statehood envisioned by Indonesian founding fathers. The movement against ruling monarch mainly led by leftist and nationalist that seek to dismantle traditional royal institution. In March 1946, a major uprising breaks out against several Malay-Muslim Sultanates and rich Malay classes in East Sumatra, removing the traditional feudal social structure in the region. Today, several regional kingdoms or sultanate survive, despite holding no actual political power and without real authority, being replaced by provincial governatorial administration. The exception is Javanese Yogyakarta Sultanate that won special region status, mostly owed to the sultanate's bid and support for Indonesian Republic during Indonesian National Revolution. These sultanates and kingdoms are only recognised as the custody of local culture, arts and traditions, although they might still enjoyed prestiges and held in high esteem especially among local community.
  Officially, Malayness has no special position in Indonesian state ideology, except as one of the constituent regional cultures — which tend to be represented on a province-by-province basis. Loyalty for a certain ethnic group was overshadowed with the new inter-ethnic loyalty, advocating the importance of the national unity and national identity of Bangsa Indonesia ("Indonesian nation") instead. Despite having widespread influence in the archipelago, ethnic Malay is only recognised as one of myriad Indonesian ethnic groups, which enjoy equal status with other Indonesians such as Javanese, Sundanese, Minang, Dayak, Chinese Indonesian, Ambonese and Papuan.
  Despite being the source of the Indonesian national language, Malay itself has been degraded as a mere local dialect in Sumatra, equal in status with Minangkabau, Acehnese and Batak languages. Compared to local Malay dialects in Sumatra, Indonesian language develop further which absorbs rich terminology and vocabulary from other Indonesian native languages, also rich variations of local dialects across Indonesia.
  Despite enjoying the status as overwhelming majority, Islam is recognized just as one among six official religions recognized in Indonesia; together with Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. There is also no legal law, apart from family and peer pressure, to restrict Malay Indonesians to Islam. The strength of nationalist sentiments, rapidly progressing democracy, the destruction of the sultanates, and rampant Javanisation, ushered in a prolonged period of Malay political acquiescence, significantly reducing the momentum of Malayisation in Indonesia.
caption: Maimun Palace in Medan, a reminder of 19th century opulence of Malay Deli Sultanate. Although today the sultanate still crowned their sultan, he holds no actual political power, absorbed into North Sumatran provincial government.
exif: {}