Sekali Air Bah, Sekali Pantai Berubah: Evolusi Kefahaman Mengenai Perpaduan di Malaysia (The Evolution and Significance of the Notion of Unity in Malaysia)

Abstract

‘Perpaduan’ ialah sebuah konsep yang telah diwar-war luas, dibincang dan dikajiselidik semenjak peristiwa konflik etnik pada 13 Mei 1969. Sebelum konsep perpaduan diperkenalkan dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kedua, 1971-75, konsep ‘kesatuan’ lebih kerap digunakan mencirikan sifat sosio-politik Malaysia. Alasan konsep perpaduan diperkenalkan selepas 1969 ialah kerana masyarakat Malaysia dianggap sudah berpecah belah dan perlu dikembalikan pada suatu keadaan yang mengamalkan perpaduan, khususnya menggunakan pendekatan perancangan pusat, atau institusi Rancangan Lima-Tahun Malaysia yang sedia ada. Untul lima tahun pertama selepas 1969 konsep perpaduan awal bertindak sebagai satu konsep dan matlamat tunggal negara. Selepas Malaysia makmur maka ditubuhkan Majlis Konsultatif Negara pada 2013 untuk meneliti keadaan perpaduan terkini justru kemudiannya diperkenalkan konsep perpaduan bercorak tiga serangkai – perpaduan, kesepaduan dan penyatupaduan. Semenjak ditubuh kembali Kementerian Perpaduan Negara pada Mac 2020 Dasar Perpaduan Negara, Blueprint Perpaduan Negara, Pelan Tindakan Perpaduan Negara dan Indeks Perpaduan Nasional konsep perpaduan tiga serangkai diaplikasikan dalam dokumen berkenaan. Esei ringkas ini ialah sebuah naratif mengenai evolusi dan signifikannya konsep perpaduan dalam konetks

Kata kunci: perpaduan awal; perpaduan terkini; perpaduan tiga serangkai ‘perpaduan, kesepaduan dan penyatupaduan; Kementerian Perpaduan Negara; dokumen rasmi mengenai perpaduan negara

Abstract

‘Unity,’ or perpaduan, is a concept that has been promoted, discussed, and researched widely extensively since Malaysia’s ethnic conflict of 13 May 1969. Before the notion of unity was introduced officially in the Second Malaysia Plan 1971-75, ‘union’ was a more common concept used by colonial and post-colonial government until 1970 to characterize the socio-political nature of Malaysian society.  The raison d’etre for the introduction of the unity concept after 1969 was because the society was viewed as being broken down because of the violent conflict, hence there was a necessity as such to piece together again the society guided within the broader framework of unity through the existing central planning approach, better known as Malaysia’s five-year development plan. For the first five years after May 13, 1969, the concept of unity was understood as a singular notion to frame the effort to bring together the society again. After some 43 years, in 2013, when Malaysia became more prosperous, the notion of unity became a tripartite concept consisting of ‘unity, cohesion and reconciliation’ adopted by the National Unity Consultative Council of 2013. Since the reestablishment of the Ministry of National Unity in March 2020 the tripartite concept has been adopted and framed the National Unity Plan, The Blueprint for National Unity, National Unity Action Plan and the National Unity Index. This brief essay aims at narrating the evolution and significance of the notion of unity in Malaysia’s modern history.

Keywords: early notion of unity; contemporary notion of unity; tripartite concept of unity – unity, cohesion, reconciliation; Minsitry of National Unity; official documents on national unity