And so the program begins...

American University represented at HELP univeristy.  

American University is a partner University of HELP.

After a month in Jakarta, I take an early morning flight and end up in another metropolitan, Kuala Lumpur (KL), ready to start our Study Abroad program.  There are 8 students in the program, 4 men and 4 women, all from different backgrounds and fields of study.  We will be studying globalization, traditional and non-traditional security and governance with respect to Malaysia, Indonesia, the ASEAN region and US and Chinese relations.  An ambitious agenda, made possible by our professor, Pek Koon Heng, a native Chinese Malay.

Getting off the plane, the first thing I noticed was the haze!  There has been fires in Indonesia, on the island of Sumatra and has caused terrible haze here in KL and in Singapore.  Everyone spoke about the pollution in Jakarta, but since the haze, the air quality is even worse in KL!  However, let's not get caught up with this, although it is the major issue of the day.  The diversity and vibrant dynamism of KL is amazing and I'm excited to explore it through this program.

Compared to Indonesia, the Chinese influence is much more apparent here in KL.  Radio stations are in Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin) and walking up and down the street you can here Chinese dialects being spoken.  The amount of English speakers also far outweighs Indonesia.

We are staying at HELP University, in a beautiful residence, on the top floor of the dormitories.  This floor is usually reserved for visiting professors and scholars and has great amentities including a huge TV with all the movie channels and a great view of KL.

Professor Heng, The Group and The president of HELP

Today after meeting the President of HELP and taking a quick tour of campus, we had our first lecture.  Although Malaysia has a long rich history, essentially many of the issues boil down to one thing: ethnicity.  Since its independence from the British, the struggle to find equilibrium between the large Chinese population and the Malay population has colored most of its political history.  The Chinese has generally been the elite class being the main business owners in Malaysia.  Particularly after the riots on May 13, 1969, policies favoring Malays in everything from quotas for government posts, interest rates on loans and educational scholarships have been in place.  Even HELP University itself is a private university, established because many other ethnic Chinese and Indians were unable to gain admission to public universities.  While the ruling party, UMNO, who favors these Malay special privileges, has held power since independence, we are witnessing a turning point in Malaysian politics.  An opposition coalition, comprised of Chinese and an emerging Malaysian urban middle class, has been gaining more power within the government, winning the popular vote in the 2013 elections and gaining 7 seats in the parliament.  While it has yet to gain a majority, the concept of “one Malaysia” and equal rights for all Malays is gaining traction.  It is through this lens that we will be having site visits and guest lectures by some of the leading experts and practitioners in Malaysian economics and politics.  It is going to be a fascinating learning experience.

Learning from the vast knowledge of Professor Heng

Then enjoying a typical Malaysian meal of rice with various dishes of your choosing.