The Colonial Epoch By Chandra Muzaffar Dutch architecture in
Malacca city, Malaysia: Colonialism left an inedible mark on
Asia and redirected its orientation towards the West Unlike the
autochthonous epoch, the second epoch, characterized by Western
colonial dominance over Asia, caused much more stress and strain
to intercommunity and intercultural relations. There is no need
to repeat that whether it was the British or the Dutch or the
French, colonial policy invariably sought to divide and ruleӔ
the local population. Thus, Hindus were pitted against Muslims
in British India, the Javanese against the Sumatrans in Dutch
Indonesia, and the Khmers against the Vietnamese in French
Indochina. Specific policies in relation to land, agriculture,
employment, the public services, and education served to widen
the chasm between the communities. There was yet another
dimension to colonial policy which also generated negative
consequences for ethnic ties. In Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the
Fijis, among other countries, the