Cross-Ethnic Social Relations towards Empowerment of Social Cohesion in Malaysia

This paper discusses societal perceptions of the cross-social relationships in Malaysia and makes them dynamic in the context of managing and shaping social differences in Malaysian society. The foundations of nation-building in Malaysia are based on integration in which their ethnic identities are maintained and preserved in the Federal Constitution. However, there is an outsider's perception of harmony in Malaysia which is often negative. This is because they are influenced by the talk conflict in social media as if tomorrow will repeat the bloody tragedy of May 13, 1969. However, the Institute for Ethnic Studies (KITA) has clearly stated that Malaysia today is in the 'era of Social Cohesion', where the behavior of illalaysians was at the 'everyday-defined' level namely, 'they talk conflict, they walk cohesion 'and this is a healthy psychosocial activity. In this regard, a study has been conducted regarding the cross-social relationships at work. This study focuses on societal's perceptions of the level of cross-social relationships at work in the context of relationships at the personal, community, and institutional levels. The research method used was a survey conducted on 554 business communities of traders and hawkers who have direct relationships to cross-social ethnic relationships. Overall, this study found that cross-social relationships at the personal, community, and institutional levels are positive and significant. This cross-ethnic practice at the grassroots level is a significant factor in the formation and strengthening the social cohesion in Malaysia as well as a assurance of the country's continued stability.