Dry Wall
There are two main reasons that drywall is not used in most of the residential buildings from the past in Malaysia: the mindset of the people, and the cost of drywall system.
Although people rarely knock on the wall (they actually don’t) in their everyday life than visiting a show flat, when talked about drywall, people immediately imagined that a drywall is a wall that feels hollow inside when knocking, and it somehow gives the impression of a less sturdy wall in compared to a masonry (brick) wall.
Some of the drywall system suppliers carry a drywall solution but with a higher cost than a brick wall solution.
Consider not only the material of a drywall partition and the stud(metal or timber), but the labor cost of fabrication and installation, building a brick wall is still much cheaper than building drywall.
Of course, you have to take time (or speed of construction) out of the conversation for most of the time in the context of Malaysia, as it is usually not being seen in proportion to cost as a constraint.
On a side note, drywall has a crack issue when installing not in a proper fashion especially the joint and the part that is exposed to the harsh weather which in turns, requires higher expertise (cost) to detail and build than a brick wall.
When the drywall is not sealed properly, water or moist in the hot and humid climate (Malaysia) can damage its stud. Using a galvanized iron or a treated timber means higher cost.