Malaysia: Malay Identity · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

The Silent Room grapples with what kind of Malay he is. “While being brought up with strong Malay values, they also made sure I was able to converse in English before I set foot in primary school. I was taught to bow and extend my right hand forward when walking in front of elders. Plenty of my typical Malay habits are hardwired, not into my brain, but into my body. There’s quite a few things that I do yet not even realise I do them.”