Local traditions and culture in Malaysia

ENTRY POINTS - Visitors can enter Malaysia by air, sea and road/train. The main entrances are as follows : International Airports,Ports,Roads,Trains.
ARRIVAL - Upon arriving in Malaysia, visitors are to declare all dutiable or prohibited goods in their possession. Visitors are required to unpack and repack their baggages themselves for customs inspection. This is defined under Section 103, Customs Act 1967. Baggage inspection and imposition of customs duty are done only at the entry points. Customs duty is not imposed on trips within Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. This does not include duty free zones which are Labuan in Sabah, Pulau Tioman in Pahang and Langkawi in Kedah. Customs Duty will not be imposed on goods imported from Labuan and Langkawi except rubber, marble, anchovies, and petroleum products.
GREEN/RED LANE SYSTEM - If the visitors do not possess dutiable and/or prohibited goods at the entry points (for example in airports), where the Green/Red Lane exists, they can walk through the Green Lane. Otherwise the visitors have to walk through the Red Lane and declare the goods to the Customs Officers on duty.
DUTY EXEMPTION FOR RESIDENTS AND NON-RESIDENTS - The Customs Duties (Exemption) Order 1988, Item 19, allows Malaysian citizens and visitors to import the following goods duty free if certain conditions are fulfilled: Wine, spirit, malt liquor not more than 1 liter. Tobacco not more than 225 gram (equivalent to 200 cigarettes).
Wearing apparels not more than 3 pieces. One pair of new shoes.
Portable electrical or battery operated appliances for personal care amd hygiene not exceeding 1 unit each. Foods preparations to a value of not exceeding RM75.
All other goods including gifts and souvenirs valued at not more than RM400 ( except for goods from Langkawi, Pulau Tioman and Labuan, the total amount valued at not more than RM500). For any other related info: pls visit: http://www.customs.gov.my/html/eng/pengembara.asp?id=129&category=3

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Greetings can be a slightly complicated affair. ‘Selamat’ is the greeting word, but you must specify the time.

• Selamat pagi = Good Morning
• Selamat tengah hari = Good Afternoon (from noon to about 2pm)
• Selamat petang = Good Afternoon/Good Evening
• Selamat malam = Good Night

I did have a grumpy policeman on a train just say ‘Pagi’ to me one morning.

Some other greetings:

• Terima Kasih = Thank You – this is an important phrase to memorise.
• Sama = You are welcome. Sometimes they will say Sama Sama as a way of saying Thank You very much. They do not have the word for ‘very’ so they repeat a word to indicate this.
• Selamat datang = Welcome
• Apa khabar? = How are you?
• Khabar baik, terima kasih.= I'm fine, thank you.
• Selamat tinggal =Goodbye. Said by the person leaving
• Selamat jalan =Goodbye. Said by the person staying

A spellbinding medium for storytelling, the Wayang Kulit is a traditional theatre form that brings together the playfulness of a puppet show, and the elusive quality and charming simplicity of a shadow play.

Its origin remains a mystery, though it appears to have a strong Javanese and Hindu influence. Today, it is spread out, in various forms and guises, across Asia - from Turkey and China to Indonesia and of course, Malaysia.

Here, it is most popular in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, particularly in Kelantan, the heartland of Wayang Kulit, where it took root more than 250 years ago. Today, however, urbanisation and modern entertainment have led to a decline in its popularity.

There used to be four main varieties of the form in this country: the Wayang Kulit Siam of Kelantan; the Wayang Gedek, performed by the Thai communities of Kedah and Perlis; the Wayang Kulit Jawa, performed by the Javanese communities in Selangor and Johor; and the Wayang Kulit Melayu, performed by the Javanese communities of Terengganu. Today, only the first two are performed.

There used to be four main varieties of the form in this country: the Wayang Kulit Siam of Kelantan; the Wayang Gedek, performed by the Thai communities of Kedah and Perlis; the Wayang Kulit Jawa, performed by the Javanese communities in Selangor and Johor; and the Wayang Kulit Melayu, performed by the Javanese communities of Terengganu. Today, only the first two are performed.

There used to be four main varieties of the form in this country: the Wayang Kulit Siam of Kelantan; the Wayang Gedek, performed by the Thai communities of Kedah and Perlis; the Wayang Kulit Jawa, performed by the Javanese communities in Selangor and Johor; and the Wayang Kulit Melayu, performed by the Javanese communities of Terengganu. Today, only the first two are performed.

For more info log on to the National Art Gallery Malaysia website listed below.

'Ye Gods, old man-don't do it!' you're bound to shriek on page 1 of this hilarious travelogue, on which the author lists the hazards that may befall him-vipers, cholera, crocs, ticks, tuberculosis, malaria, rabies, and 1,700 types of parasitic worms among them. After all, portly, over-the-hill London Times literary reviewer Redmond O'Hanlon hasn't done anything more aerobic than flip the pages of a book for decades; he wasn't even a Boy Scout. It's hardly reassuring that his colleague, poet James Fenton-who had the big idea to trek in Borneo-was a Boy Scout. He hated it, and besides, aged, balding Fenton, whom O'Hanlon describes as rather worm-like, sounds like he's a likely lunch for a swooping black eagle.
But on they trod-with the much-needed help of three Iban natives and an unseen, though oft-quoted river god-through jungle, across rivers whose height may rise seven feet overnight, and via native villages (where they often have late-night parties), with one goal in mind: seeing the fabled Borneo rhino. Fenton is nearly swept away in a whirlpool, they subsist on jungle-worm gruel, and ripping off sucking leeches is a near-daily occurrence, but cultural and natural insights and adventures abound in this rip-roaringly funny and deftly written travelogue that will have you chortling out loud. (Melissa Rossi)

Along with tin, Malaysia's early economy was built on rubber. Rubber tapping is the process whereby natural rubber, called latex, is collected from a rubber tree. A small incision is made in the bark of a rubber tree with a special tool in order to cut the latex vessels. The dripping latex is then collected in a small container attached to the tree.

Rubber trees are native to the Amazonian regions of South America. There are several species, but the rubber tree that yields the purest, most elastic, and most abundant flow of latex is the Pará tree, which is native to western Brazil, northern Bolivia, and eastern Peru.

Attempts were made to grow Pará trees in South America, but a species of fungus native to that continent caused a disease that killed many of the transplanted trees and made it impractical to set up rubber plantations there. And the rubber trees that grow wild in the Amazonian region tend to be widely spaced over large areas of the vast rainforest, and are therefore mainly inaccessible.

In the 1890s, Pará trees were smuggled from Brazil and transported to Malaysia. The hot, humid climate of Southeast Asia perfectly suited the rubber trees, and the fungal disease that killed them on plantations in South America did not exist. The numerous orderly rubber plantations established in Malaysia eliminated the problems of access and maximized growth. In addition, the invention of special cutting tools increased the flow of, and therefore the production of, latex. These factors helped Malaysia monopolize much of the world's production of natural rubber.

Although Malaysia's importance as a rubber producer declined after the advent of synthetic rubber, it is still the world's third-largest producer of natural rubber, accounting for 20 percent of the world's total. Over 3,212,370 acres (1,300,000 hectares) of land are devoted to rubber plantations in Peninsular Malaysia.

I took a day trip to see the sights of Kuala Lumpur, and one of the sights featured a visit to a small rubber plantation where the tour leader showed us how the bark of the tree is scraped to start a flow of the latex.

Malaysia has three primary races; Malays, Chinese and Indians. The Malays far outnumber the others and the government has struggled to lift them out of their current state and provide wealth and prosperity to this group.

Malaysia has had a Prime Minister since its independence in 1957. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
was PM for 22 years and instituted many policies intended to lift up the Malays. They have had preferred interest rates, greater quotas for university acceptance and other practices intended to offer them advantages.

In 2009 Najib Razak took over the job of PM. He actually cried during a speech when he bemoaned the fact that the preferences have not changed the facts of life for local Malays. As a result, he's instituted the One Malaysia policy.

It is generally felt that the Chinese (considered Chinese even if they are born in Malaysia and are several generations deep) have the business advantages. Indians are considered the last race but are working very hard and have really made big progress in lifting their families up.

Malaysia is a Muslim country; 80 percent of the population is Muslim. For a westerner, not used to this the various accountrements stood out for me. The clothing is varied, from women covered completely except for their eyes, to the more common covered head and body but face and hands free, to a simple veil covering the head, a pretty patterned and modest top, but jeans and sandals.

One thing that struck me very odd was to see a family in the shopping mall or at a resort; mother fully covered with just a pair of beautiful eyes peeking out, kids in a stroller and father so casually dressed in short pants, t-shirt and sandals. As a Western woman, that seems terribly unfair. Especially when the temperatures are so hot and humid.

But Muslimism is not a feminist faith. Men are allowed 4 wives. In many countries that's a moot point as civil law dictates one marriage. In Malaysia, Muslim men can have 4 wives. One of my Malaysian colleagues has two wives. I can't even fathom that. I asked non-Muslim married women what they thought. In many cases they said "hmmm, that might not be so bad! When you don't want him around he can go to her house!"

It took me two hotels to realize that this little arrow on the roof wasn't an indication to the hotel where some spot needed painting! Rather, it's an arrow indicating the direction of Mecca!

Many hotels, resorts and businesses have prayer rooms.

If you are a man, shaking hand with Muslim men is fine.
BUT when meeting woman with hand scarf, unless she initiate hand shaking, it is best not to try to shake hand - nothing personal, just a culture and region thing.