We call ourselves a land of Muhibbah – love, goodwill, and harmony. But in a world where differences can divide, the real test is whether we can carry the spirit of Muhibbah beyond the open house and into the everyday moments that shape our shared future.

Malaysia is home to over 34 million people from diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Outsiders often marvel at this variety, calling us a salad bowl or a mosaic of cultures. A Canadian visitor once described Malaysia perfectly: “In Malaysia, you get Asia in one stop.”

Yet beyond the colourful tourism posters and festive advertisements lies a deeper question: Are we truly multicultural in how we live, or do we simply perform diversity on special occasions?

Inventing a new, binding “sauce”

Most of us who enjoy Malaysian cuisine are familiar with the two food metaphors to describe Malaysia: rojak and yee sang. Both are mixtures bound by a distinctive sauce – peanut for rojak, plum for yee sang. The challenge today is to invent a new “sauce” that binds us all together in a genuinely multicultural Malaysia.

This leads to four guiding questions:

1. Are we a multicultural society in practice, or does one dominant group still define our national character?

2. Is there a shared “Malaysian identity” that resonates across all communities?

3. Do we understand what it means to coexist in diversity beyond slogans?

4. Under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s MADANI vision, how can ordinary Malaysians help build a civilised, skilled, and inclusive nation?

One way of understanding Malaysia’s multicultural life is to use the three levels of cultural engagement. At the Intracultural Level it is understanding one’s own cultural roots, values, and traditions. At the Intercultural Level it is engaging authentically with other Malaysian cultures and at the Cross-cultural Level it is interacting effectively with people from other countries in a globalised world.

While many of us in urban Malaysia navigate these three levels of interface daily – ordering nasi lemak for breakfast, attending a Deepavali open house, and later collaborating with foreign colleagues online the situation in non-urban areas may not be so. Still the goal is to move toward unconscious competence in all three areas.

Qualities needed to embody multiculturalism

In embodying multiculturalism meaningfully, seven qualities are essential:

1. Self-Cultural Awareness – Knowing your own values, symbols, and rituals.

2. Multilingual Skills – Communicating in more than one language.

3. Cultural Literacy Beyond Books – Understanding lived experiences, not just textbook facts.

4. Historical & Cultural Knowledge – Appreciating the histories of all major communities.

5. Perspective-Taking in Conflict – Seeing disputes through multiple lenses.

6. Acknowledgement of Contributions – Recognising all communities’ roles in nation-building.

7. Cross-Cultural Sensitivity – Respecting and integrating other values into our thinking.

These qualities are not abstract ideals – they are practical skills that can be learned and practised daily by all Malaysians of different ethnicities.

Since 1963, the word Muhibbah – derived from the Arabic habibba, meaning love and goodwill – has captured Malaysia’s aspiration for harmony. It means respecting different ways of life, sharing joys and sorrows and standing together in times of crisis and celebration.

We see Muhibbah in our shared festivities – Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Gawai, and Christmas. But in the 21st century, unity must go beyond festive gestures. It requires substantive practices that bring people together not just on public holidays, but every day.

One commendable effort is to build on Prime Minister Anwar’s MADANI vision based on the six values of:

1. Sustainability (Kestabilan) – Preserving culture, ecology, and our shared future.

2. Compassion (Kesejahteraan) – Practising empathy across communities.

3. Respect (Kemanusiaan) – Rejecting stereotypes and embracing equality.

4. Innovation (Keberdayaan) – Welcoming diverse ideas and approaches.

5. Prosperity (Kemakmuran) – Ensuring fairness and inclusion in economic growth.

6. Trust (Kehormatan) – Building honest, respectful relationships.

Together, these values act as a moral compass for balancing tradition and progress, unity and diversity.

To help translate the spirit of Muhibbah and MADANI in our daily lives, six strategies are highlighted:

1. Inclusive Mindsets – See diversity as a strength. Greet people in their mother tongues, listen without prejudice, and include minority voices in decisions.

2. Respectful Coexistence – Live side-by-side with understanding. Attend cultural events, respect sacred spaces, and teach children about different customs and taboos.

3. Shared Prosperity – Ensure benefits reach all communities. Support diverse businesses, mentor across ethnic boundaries, and create inclusive community projects.

4. Sustainable Interdependence – Recognise that our destinies are linked. Reduce waste at cultural events, advocate equitable access to resources, and build rural-urban as well as East–West Malaysia partnerships.

5. Collective Innovation – Use diversity to solve problems. Blend traditional wisdom with modern tools, encourage multicultural teamwork, and celebrate cultural fusions in arts, food, and design.

6. Deep-rooted Trust – Build relationships that last. Keep promises, speak well of others, and create safe spaces for open dialogue.

Understanding people

In today’s borderless digital world, our children grow up watching Korean Tok-toks, attending international schools, and absorbing global values at every turn. While these influences broaden their horizons, they also risk diluting the roots that anchor their identity.

Balancing global exposure with a strong local grounding is essential. By internalising the MADANI values as Malaysians, they gain not only the moral compass to stay true to their heritage but also the cultural fluency to thrive in a future where understanding people is as valuable as mastering technology.

Malaysia’s strength lies not in avoiding differences but in embracing them consciously and respectfully. We need to move from slogan to substance, from tolerance to inclusion, and from coexistence to collaboration.

This shift starts with each of us asking the following questions of am I building bridges, or staying in my silo, do I truly understand what matters to my fellow Malaysians and what am I doing every day to strengthen multiculturalism?

If we want a new Malaysian identity, we must stop treating “Unity in Diversity” as a tagline and start living it as a value.

Let us reclaim the spirit of Muhibbah, reinvent it through MADANI, and transform difference into our greatest strength.

As actress Michelle Yeoh reminds us: “Diversity is strength.” And, as Ramli Ibrahim, a Malay master of Indian dance, demonstrates – culture has no borders when the spirit is open.

As Malaysians, we each carry multiple cultures within us. The task is to develop the skills to connect with those who are different from us. Multiculturalism is not a slogan – it is a skill. And, like any skill, it grows when we practise it – every single day.

-- BERNAMA

Asma Abdullah, PhD, (asmaatculturematters@gmail.com) is an interculturalist.