Challenges

1. Policy of government
After independence, Malaysia did not formulate a national cultural policy until 1971.This policy
is a great challenge to Chinese culture. The national culture policy includes 3 key element which
are

Form beginning, MCA leaders were concerned with resolving the problems of Chinese exposed
in the 1969 elections and were preoccupied with their own internal reforms.

This policy often supports keeping Malay culture preserved. This is an issue because Chinese
culture might eventually become more homogenized and may lose the chinese culture unique
characteristics.

1. crisis of lion dance

Chinese community consider lion dance can be a part of Chinese malaysia culture and requesting
for the lion dance to be officially national culture This is because the Malaysian Prime Minister
was welcomed back after his first visit to China by lion dance performances in 1974, which
sparked a growing interest in the lion dance among Chinese Malaysians.

The first crisis is due to the national culture policy lion dance was not officially national
culture.Government's refusal to issue permits for public lion dance performances other than at
Chinese New Year in 1982. The lion dance can't receive the fund allocation from the
government.

Second crisis is the localization of lion dance. Sri Ghazali Shafie said that "foreign" cultural
components, like the Chinese lion dance, could never be incorporated into Malaysian national
culture. Ghazali Shafie went on to say that the lion dance may be improved by being changed
into a tiger dance and accompanied by gamelan (a Malay orchestra), flute, gong, or tabla (an
Indian drum). The lion dance was thought to be unrepresentative of Malaysia in the 1970s. As a
result, the traditional lion dance was outlawed and replaced with a forced "tiger dance," with the
exception of a single performance around Chinese New Year.

After the national culture policy is implemented, Chinese lion dancing should be included into
the national culture, according to Lee Kim Sai, Chairman of the MCA Youth and Deputy
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department. Although the lion dance was never given official
recognition, it was widely performed throughout Malaysia in the 1990s with no interference from
the government.

1980
1. One Language, One Culture Policy

the country have officially submitted "National Culture Memorandum"to the Malaysian
government for culture, youth and sports Ministry. The 15th Chinese Youth League Leadership
Organization's "National Culture Memorandum" was formally presented to the Minister of
Culture, Youth, and Sports on March 30.

"National Culture Memorandum"Chinese associations in Malaysia presented their vision of a

national culture in Malaysia based on respect and support for cultural variety in a 24 pages
statement.

four sections: education is the first part, literature is the second part, art and culture are the third
part and last part is regional. In culture part of “National Culture Memorandum” included
observation of current policy and the requirement of the Chinese association.The requirement of
memorandum in art and culture part included:

The first recommended proposals advocated increased Malaysian government support for the
preservation and development of the language, education, and culture of all ethnic groups

The second recommended the promotion of increased cultural interactions between Malaysia's
ethnic groups in order to foster more common cultural values, and to support freedom of artistic
development and expression

However, this request was not taken seriously by the government. The Minister of Cultural,
Youth, and Sports Anwar Ibrahim at that time replied that the Chinese association government
focuses mainly on improving the implementation of the national cultural policy and has no
interest in modifying it.

Origins of the national culture festival

Lalang operation:

As we know, newspapers are one of the three pillars in the Chinese community. this operation
influenced chinese malaysia right. Shutdown the newspaper will lead chinese Malaysia cant
promote the culture and accept the external information. This will influence politic, culture and
more

a memo was submitted to the government by eighteen prominent Chinese groups, condemning
the incarceration of the four Chinese association leaders and refuting the government's claims
that their support of Chinese cultural issues incite racial tensions.

properly shows the multiracial nature of Malaysians, in line with the Rukunegara