在過去三十年間，馬來西亞政府試圖藉著制定文化政策及設立相關執行機構來集中管理和介入各類藝術。馬來西亞在1969年發生了種族暴動，境內各族群之間的關係破裂，而該政府為了促進國內的統一，隨即於1970年制定了「國家文化政策」。在這之後，一些特定的馬來藝術形式被塑造為國家文化的代表，並且經過改良，以符合國家文化政策的需要。 然而，這種僅由單一族群文化所構成的「國家文化」並不能達到促進統一的效果，其背後必須要有更深層的社會認同。自1990年代起，一個以創造「馬來西亞種族」(Bangsa Malaysia) 為目標的運動開始興起，以各族群社會的文化認同為依歸。而近來對多元文化主義和文化觀光的論述，也具體表現在由政府所籌辦的包含多民族的大型表演活動上。就如同馬來西亞試圖經由「願景2020」 (Vision 2020)計畫達到晉身為工業化國家的目標，該政府也希望藉由大型文化展演 (包括境內各地方、各族群的代表性舞蹈)，投射出一個科技進步、奠基於自我文化認同之上、各族群和諧相處的馬來西亞形象。 本文檢視自1970年代至千禧年為止，文化集權政策執行的過程、國家政策對傳統表演藝術的影響，以及藝術行政官員對傳統的再創造。

During the past three decades, the Malaysian State has tried to centralize and intervene in the arts by creating policies pertaining to culture and institutions for their implementation. The National Culture policy was formulated in 1970 for purposes of national unity following the 1969 racial riots when ethnic relations broke down in Malaysia. Consequently, selected Malay forms which were promoted as national culture were streamlined so that they were in keeping with the national culture policy. However, it has been realized that unity cannot be imposed through the creation of a national culture based on the culture of one ethnic group. There has to be a degree of social consensus. Since the 1990s, there seems to be a movement towards the creation of a Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian Race) that rests on the cultural identities of the various ethnic communities. The multi-ethnic extravagant performances organized by the State represent the recent discourses on multi-culturalism and cultural tourism. As Malaysia tries to achieve the status of an industrialized country through Vision 2020, spectacular cultural shows with representative dances from all the states and ethnic groups have been created to project a Malaysia which is technologically advanced, rooted in its own cultural identity, and where diverse ethnic groups live in harmony. This paper looks at the processes of cultural centralization, the effects of national policies on the traditiooal performing arts, and the re-creation of tradition by arts administrators from the 1970s till the turn of the millennium.