WHO WE ARE

Background

In areas where there are a sizeable number of Malays e.g. London, there exists some platforms where they can interact amongst themselves. Elsewhere in the UK, the Malay community is generally dispersed with little or no interaction with fellow Malays. With many of them having children who are being brought up here, there is always a danger that the next generation of Malays may lose their religious identity and the Malay culture

Even though there are a large number of Malay students in the UK, those who are resident in the UK find it difficult to interact with them. This may be due to lack of common interest and goal. The transient nature of the student population which come and go every so often also does not help.

Need for a society

There is a need for a UK-wide Malay society to cater for the welfare of the Malays who are resident in the UK. By residing in the UK we mean those who have the right of abode, been given indefinite leave to remain in the UK or British citizens of Malay descend.

This will be the first UK-wide society which directly addresses the welfare of the resident Malay community in the UK.

Target Group

The society will target the following categories for its membership.

• UK Residents of Malay descend;
• UK citizens of Malay descend;
• Malays who are working in the UK;
• Malays who are seriously considering to reside in the UK.
• The target groups include their spouses and children.

Objectives of society

The society will be family-centric with a broad range of activities for the whole family, including children. The objectives are as follows:

• To address the welfare of the Malay community in the UK in a variety of areas e.g. assisting families to solve the problem of providing religious education to their children, counselling, education and business. The society will try to get the assistance of experts in the various fields.
• To provide a link between the Malay community in the UK and Malaysia in cultural, religious and commercial areas. The society will also try to create an awareness in Malaysia that there exists a Malay community in the UK who have expertise in a variety of fields.
• To enable non-resident Malay students studying in the UK to interact and exchange ideas with resident Malay students.

Language

We expect that some of our members may not understand or speak Bahasa Melayu. The society will use Bahasa Melayu and English in its meetings and activities so as to be meaningful to its members.

We recognise that Bahasa Melayu will be a bonding factor amongst the Malay community. The society will endeavour to seek the assistance of educational experts in Malaysia to provide e-Learning of Bahasa Melayu to second generation UK Malays or whoever is interested in learning the language. Once implemented, it will also be useful not only to the Malay community in the UK but also to other Malay communities residing in other parts of the world.

Mode of Communication

Initially most of the activities and services will be provided via the internet while the society is building up its membership. As the membership grows, regional activities may be held in addition to an annual nationwide meeting. The society has a website (http://www.melayu.org.uk) which is accessible to the public. Members are requested to visit the website for the latest information. A discussion e-group has also been set up to enable members to interact with each other via the internet.

Name of the Society

The proposed official name of the society will be "Persatuan Masyarakat Melayu United Kingdom". The name has been chosen to reflect the growing Malay community in the United Kingdom. The abbreviation of "Melayu UK" will be used to refer to the society.

Patron

The Malaysian High Commisioner is the patron of the society.

Registration

Those eligible can apply for membership by contacting any of the committee members. For those who wish to be informed of the forthcoming launch of the society can also register their names with any of the committee members. An online registration form can be accessed via the website.

Membership Drive

We hope to increase the awareness of the existence of the society so that more people can contribute towards the development of the society and benefit from it. We also hope that our website and this document will be relayed to various people and relevant organisations to enable us to build up our membership.

Voluntary Contributions

We welcome voluntary contributions in all aspects from individuals and organisations to develop the activities and services of the society.