Malaysia Edition: Why Bangsa Johor is more than just a state identity

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In February, the Malaysia bureau tried to demystify life in Kelantan – particularly through the lens of the Chinese minority there, who make up just one in 40 people in the deeply Islamist state.

More recently, correspondent Lu Wei Hoong joined our colleague Harith Mustaffa in Johor to unpack the intricacies of “Bangsa Johor” – the identity being championed by the southern state’s royalty, especially Regent and Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibrahim.

Johor is probably the first state to try to articulate what it means to be a citizen of a state rather than of the Malaysian federation as a whole.

What our correspondents found, though, is that Bangsa Johor means something different depending on who you ask. A football fanatic in Johor Bahru may fully embrace the idea of Johorean exceptionalism, and the larger-than-life role the state’s royals play in public life.

But Wei Hoong highlighted how some Johoreans, like his friend, feel little connection with fellow residents of the state capital.

“He identifies more as a Melakan and is more comfortable conversing in Hokkien, as he normally does with relatives from there. JB is much more Mandarin-speaking, especially given the strong influence of Mandarin broadcasting from Singapore, which many antennae in southern Johor can pick up,” Wei Hoong said.

This is even before considering locals in northern Johor who say they are “going to Johor” when they mean a trip down to JB. Or coastal residents along Mersing for whom Johorean pride means achieving success on their own terms, not through spillover from Singapore.

Harith also shared how he “code-switches” from his usual Singaporean Malay to something closer to Johor-speak when he crosses the Causeway into JB.

“But then you travel north towards Muar or east to Mersing and all that effort is in vain. People talk different, the pace is different, life is different. It reminds us there may be a ‘Bangsa Johor’ but it is not homogeneous,” he said.

With stories like these, reporters sometimes find more questions than answers. Rest assured that every week, the Malaysia bureau will give you the best of both – and explain why they matter. If you have any query, let us know.