Measuring Malaysia’s racial segregation with the Entropy Index and the Geographic Information System (GIS): A case study of the state of Perak, 1991-2000

When the British ruled Malaya its policy of ‘divide and rule’ had resulted in racial segregation of the population being practised spatially and occupationally. Thus the Chinese predominated in urban areas which were the centres of trade, commercial and mining activities, the Malays in subsistence rural agricultural activities, and the Indians in rubber plantations as farm workers. Malaysia now is in its fifth decade of Independence and the question arises if the spatial, racial and economic segregation of the post-Independence population has changed? This study examined the changes in the pattern of racial segregation in the State of Perak for the period of 1991 and 2000 using the Entropy Index and geographical information systems (GIS). Population data for three major groups (Malay, Chinese and Indian) at the district and block computation (BC) levels were utilized for the purpose of tracking the changing patterns of racial segregation. The findings showed that in general racial segregation in the State of Perak over the period of 1991 and 2000 exhibited a downward trend for the majority of the areas investigated. The use of surface analysis in GIS had succeeded in presenting this trend.