Posted on by Kit

Is Malaysia a Racist Country

By Hussein Hamid

Is Malaysia a racist Country?
YES 455 (94%)
NO 29 (5%)

Vote on this poll
Votes so far: 484
Days left to vote: 1

With one day to go the above is the result of the Poll we had recently on steadyaku47. Number of Votes cast: 484. Of this number an overwhelming 94% were adamant that Malaysia is a racist country! Why do they think so?

Are the people racist towards each other? NO! Are the Malays treating the Chinese as second class citizens? NO! Are the Chinese preventing the Malays from going into their shops because they are Malays? NO. Are the Indians being prevented from riding in Public Transport because they are Indians? NO! We are free to go anywhere we like, do anything we want and between the races we are equal.

Malaysia is a racist country because of the policies of its Government whose Prime Minister ironically claims that its 1Malaysia is bringing the people together!

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the 1Malaysia concept is nothing unusual as it is a continuation of the concepts to strengthen solidarity among the people which had been introduced by past leaders.?

Najib said that as a multi-racial and multi-religious country, the concept of solidarity certainly could not be ignored or treated lightly because it could pose a problem and destroy the inter-racial ties that had been nurtured all this while. “My predecessors had emphasised on national solidarity as one of the main pillars that would ensure Malaysia’s success and survival,” he said.

Amazing. If our Prime Minister and the Prime Ministers that came before him have all emphasized national solidarity as one of the main pillars to ensure Malaysia’s success and survival – then why did 94% of the 484 people that participated in this poll is of the opinion that Malaysia is a Racist country?

Here again I think our leaders need too be clear on what they perceived is the situation and what really is the situation. Yes we hear our Prime Minister talk up national solidarity many times but as the Malays say “cakap bukan serupa bikin”. In all seriousness Najib’s recent pronouncement “Umno for all” brought more laughter then a feeling of hope for better things to come in the future.

This is the sad thing about our country. Whereas in other countries the government would have to legislate to ensure that there is racial equality this is not the case in Malaysia. Here it is the government that is quietly or covertly putting into practice policies and practices that discriminate and place those who are not Malays and who are in the minority at a disadvantage – in education, in seeking employment, in business – in all things Malaysians. And it is the people that is taking the lead to learn to live with each other in spite of these polices and practices by the government of the Barisan Nasional. What a sad commentary of the realities that exists in our country. We know it so and yet we have Najib declaring our national solidarity through 1Malaysia to a Global audience. When will he ever learn? When will he ever learn?

Just think what this country would be like if we the people did not take it upon ourselves to live with each other in harmony and goodwill? If we all did not understand that whatever racial problems we had was not of our doing but that of our government? If the Chinese, Indians and others were not able to accept that the Malays are in their ‘privilege’ position in Malaysia not because they asked to be so but because our government deem it fit to divide and rule and create a racial divide for their own vested interest. It hurts me so much when I think of this…this unnecessary racial divide that is artificially imposed upon us all by UMNO. Enough of this. We wait for the next GE to do what we must so that we can all live together as one!

42 Replies to “Is Malaysia a Racist Country”

  1. The grass is always green on the other side. I think most country are racist in general, those who went abroad and study should know this very well.

    Ever being shouted at? Like ‘Go back to your country’ or ‘Stupid Asian’

    In Malaysia, racism is more in politics, ignore politics and you ignore racism. However, in a whiteman’s country, racism is on a peer to peer level, which is something personal.

    As a Chinese, no Malays ever shouted at me – telling me to go back to China, not yet anyway.

    UMNO is the one shouting all these racist slug, not in the name of race, more of power and money.

  7. Ahhh, the easy questions are best kind! Are you doing a series of these? I look forward to voting on “Is the Pope a Catholic?” and “Do Bears sh!t in the woods?”

    It could be misleadingly worded, couldn’t it? In what sense can a ‘country’ be racist? The hills, jungles, beaches and rivers cannot be racist. The nation’s laws are racist, so an outsider might easily mistake Malaysia for a ‘racist country’.

    Even if the racist legislation were removed, Malaysia would still be full of racists. Appalling, convulsive, lifelong racists. You are a racist, when you fail to avoid describing Malaysians as “Chinese, Indians and Uthas”, as though “Utha” is a race of little green men with aerials on their heads.

    Racism is an unavoidable consequence of being animals. Whenever a man forgets that he is part of a community based on a reasonable level of altruism, he turns on his fellows and does what any decent animal would do – rip them to shreds for easy access to territory, food and good-looking rump. As much as we must each individually resist the urge. As thinking animals, we must put in place institutions that keep animalistic instincts at bay. Malaysia has manifestly failed to do this.

    It’s impossible to accuse the people of failing in their duty to be altruistic members of a greater community when their government forces them to be racists. The government has to change first.

  8. I was at my bank today; there was a short
    line. Just one lady in front of me, an Asian lady who was trying to
    exchange yen for dollars. It was obvious She was a little irritated.
    . .

    She asked the teller, ‘Why it change? Yesterday, I get
    two hunat dolla fo yen. Today I only get hunat eighty? Why it
    change?’

    The teller shrugged his shoulders and said,
    ‘Fluctuations.’

    The Asian lady says, ‘Fluc you
    white people too!”

  9. Of course our country is racist. The issue really is racism holding us back, dragging us? Its given racism has no future BUT the issue is do most of us have more to gain and more equitable if we change it AND the answer is of course too…

    More importantly, if we don’t change, we give up the future, the longer it take to change, the more future we give up..

  10. The Umno government’s rejecting Chin Peng’s application for entering Malaysia only proved that Umnoputras are a whole group of people who like to play twist and turn game with others. These Umnoputras think that they are very smart to play around with Chin Peng by refusing to honour the peace treaty signed between the Malaysian Federal Government (as represented by the then Deputy IGP Tan Sri Rahim Noor) and Malayan Communist Party (as represented by Chin Peng), which promises a pardon to all communist party members who agreed to surrender their weapons to the Thai Government and permits the ex communist party members to return home.

    However, by the despicable behaviour of refusing to honour a solemn promise, the Umnoputras only prove that they are a group of moral bankrupt people who have lost all their personal intergrity and credibility. Who is going to put trust in the Umnoputras again in view of their treating the signature of their authorised appointee as something not much different from shit in the toilet?

  11. The question is kind of mal-formulated, alas.
    Of course, racism is probably in any country of our globe. So the obvious answer is ‘yes’.
    Though, not all countries – essentially almost no other country – has such a level of institutionalised racism as Malaysia.
    On the contrary, all developed countries have an almost sick level of legislation that punishes offenders of a race-neutral policy left and right; beyond common sense. All in the name of ‘political correctness’.
    Actually, is there any other country at all, where someone can reasonably state: “I am of race XXX; and the constitution plus accepted practice therefore make me a born leader. Because members of this race, my race, are dominant (superior)”?

  12. The people can be racist, but the government should not be. The trouble here is the government promotes racism among the people. It started in a big way by Mahathir who told Tunku that he did not do enough for Malays.

  13. most country are racist
    No this isn’t true. Racism was only tackled in the UK with some effort in the last 40 years or so. When my parents got married and started a family, they could still see housing advertisements with “No Irish” tags.

    When I was in my twenties, I spent a brief spell working in Aberdeen. My first night out with my colleagues in a city-centre pub, some of my colleagues asked me what my full name was. When I told them one of them screamed “You ufkcnig Fenian Abtsrad!” and swung a punch at my face. It missed, but I didn’t wait for another. As I sprinted out of the door I heard “Go back to the bog!”. Now you would not normally confuse me for anything other than a whiteman. I am so white, you can practically see my organs through my skin on a bright day.

    I grew up near London, which while it is certainly not some “Love Thy Funny-Looking Neighbour” Paradise, is closer to the origin of Race Relations legislation and much more mixed than other places in the UK. I had never heard of “Fenian”, so I phoned my mum and asked her what it was! When she explained my sole reaction was “but that’s irrelevant”. And it is. It’s history. It is of no concern to me in my day to day life. Why should it be of concern to others?

    Race Relations has nothing to do with ‘political correctness’ digard. Some of the legislation is problematically worded, and in some countries (such as the UK) part of the legislation is an obligation on institutions to show that their anti-discrimination policies are ‘working’. Nonsense like the banning of “Baa Baa Black Sheep” in some schools is over-zealous silly-billies desperately trying to find something that ‘works’. The problem is there is no measuring stick which you can measure racial discrimination with – it’s hard to know which instance is ‘worse’ than the other.

    Additionally, if things are bad, you can’t simply use a ‘proportional’ response. Know any engineers? Ask them about Control Theory – Wiener attempted to apply it to society, he wrote an interesting book about it called “Cybernetics” or something… memory fails me. Google won’t. A proportional response will only ever reduce the problem, not completely correct it. To correct the problem, it’s necessary to push it hard back toward the other side. There might be some overshoot, and that can be a source of irritation. My dad can be heard almost every day screaming “Ufkcnig TV! Nothing but gay wogs!”

  14. Yes, with the political parties having the names such as MALAY, Chinese, Indian.

    Now this Chinese parties, together with UMNO, can have the corrupted leader to stay on as President and state representatives. What a corrupted BN!

  16. If Najib really wants 1Malaysia to succeed, he should start by ending once and for all, all references to race in all forms and documentation. Just ‘Malaysian” or otherwise.

    In fact, just make any reference to race illegal.

  20. racist country? no surprises there. i reckon most of it has to do with politics and those with something to gain. its not too bad in east malaysia (like sarawak) cos UMNO is not there to mess things up. too bad under mahatir our nation has ‘grown’ with NEP- racism is now a part of Malaysia.

  22. According to thestar (page3), the Trengganu state govt has introduced the “1toilet” policy whereby principals, teachers and students have to share toilets so that they can experience the wonderful feeling of “oneness”.

    May I suggest that principals and teachers dump their cars and travel to and from school in school buses with their students under a new “1transport” policy. Furthermore, under another “1uniform” policy, all principals and teachers must be made to wear the same school uniforms as their students, several sizes bigger of course.

    And under another “1equality” policy, and all principals and teachers must share their monthly salaries and allowances equally among their students. For example, a teacher earning RM4,000 a month with 39 students in his/her class will take home only RM 100 a month, with the remaining RM3,900 shared among the 39 students.

    Then only can 1malaysia truly be practised here. And Chairman Mao would be glad that his theory of class equality though dumped by China has finally found a home in this country!

  23. Najib cries that those who call UMNO racist must look at themselves first is classic examples of if they have to admit something is wrong, they must blame someone else first.

    Its classic Mahathirism to shout louder at the other person e.g. Corruption – ‘corruption is in every country’, Proton – ‘Korea and Japan also protected their car industry’.. Grabbing a silver of truth and make a mountain of it and compare it to the mountain of real crap they made up…

  26. That’s an interesting article undertaker888. Najib seems to have forgotten that the Peninsular rakyat rejected his coalition of racist parties at the last heavily-biased-in-his-favour general election. Perhaps he should take his “You Love Us” rhetoric to East Malaysia.

    Racism is exactly the problem lkt-56. Guns are the problem in countries who permit their citizens to carry them. We can keep our motives. Removing the machinery is the only solution to the problems we face when malicious people have access to the means to achieve their ends. Enacting a law against racism won’t mean you’ll have to marry a great big black woman. We all have our personal preferences – we should keep them personal for the sake of the wider community.

  27. In reply to comment #26 by OrangRojak:
    I have experienced racism in London, & particularly in Australia…

    At the ordinary level ie in day to day interactions in Malaysia, I have never had a Malay or an Indian come right to me and tell me in the face to go back to where I come from. I experienced that in London. While in Australia, a white counter at a pastry shop looked right through me to serve a white man standing behind me.

    In Malaysia what we have is preferential treatment being exercised in different sectors: housing, in education, in allocations of IPO’s of companies, award of Contracts, etc. etc. All apparently institutionalized. To what extent such policies are well intentioned is questionable. That is why I say we should focus on the motives behind such policies.

    If Malaysians are truly racists don’t you think it funny the UMNO Malays, MCA Chinese, and MIC Indians are so friendly to one another?

    While there is thunder and turmult on earth, there is peace in heaven.

    The above said, I do agree whole heartedly that racism should be outlawed for there will always be the deviant individual who will cause trouble.

  28. tell me in the face to go back to where I come from
    Racists in Malaysia do not feel threatened by their own government giving an open, even promotional welcome to pendatangs. They don’t need to say anything to you: they know you’re leaving soon. In the UK and Australia, open racists think the government is giving you a free house, free spending money, and free education. There’s a real chance they’re right, but that is right. Remember the UK only had a Race Relations Act for 40 years, and it has only been an aggressive Race Relations act for 10-20.

    Attitudes take generations to change. Just because you can find a racist in a country doesn’t mean it’s a racist country.

  29. Reply to #28 by OrangRojak:-
    Let me clarify:
    First, no affront intended by my use of London & Australia.
    Second, I am of the opinion that a country can be labeled a ‘racist country’ if it has laws that are deliberately racist.
    Third, I am a third generation Malaysian of ethnic Chinese origin and I do not and have not ever have the feeling that my fellow Malay Malaysians want me to leave the country. We get along very well and problem only arises when ‘party politics’ come into the picture.

  30. /// #11 by digard on Thursday, 15 October 2009 – 12:40 pm

    The question is kind of mal-formulated, alas. ///

    Alas, this is lot of mal-aysians and mal-aysia. With a name like mal-aysia, which in French is spelled mal-aise, what can one expect?

    Mal-functioning bureaucracy
    Mal-adjusted citizens
    Malfeasance aplenty
    Maladies afflicting the nation
    …

  31. Perhaps I appeared overly cynical. As you’ll see from my psosts above, the UK is not free of racism, even if you believe you look the same as an ‘archetypal Briton’! Also – the occasional unfortunate experience at the hands of racists in Oz and UK may actually be a result of anti-racist legislation and the positive effort that’s required to change from one ‘norm’ to a (it is to be hoped) better one.

    Malaysia’s a completely different case. While it’s tempting to attribute the lack of personal, individual friction to a greater common bond, things are rarely so simple. Malaysia’s population has soared over the last few hundred years, hasn’t it? I imagine there are very few Malaysians who are really deeply convinced their ancestors arrived here before anyone else’s. Probably most sensible Malaysian realise that their own ancestors had to work equally hard alongside those of their neighbours to build the nation they call home.

  32. Racism is a funny thing.

    When others say you are racist, it is most probably true.
    When others say you are not racist, it is also most probably true.
    When you claim you are not racist, it is most probably false.
    So is UMNO racist? It is not up to UMNO to say.

  34. Does UMNO encourages corruptions…100% all will say yes.
    And youths of today….3000 of hem said..corruptions is the main contributor to slow down progress.
    No shame to UMNO….having 3000 youths saying that…yet Khairy’s speech….not one word to discourage corruptions….and he said he is Youth Chief.
    Sure he is….chief of UMNO youth small fut gangsters.

  36. Racism exists in almost all countries. Take for example Australia. Don’t be surprised but it actually has quite a bad reputation for racism. Australia is actually a racist country to many.

    Racism is actually ‘different’ in Malaysia. Malaysians of all races are generally more tolerant (and less open about their racism). The racism that exists are rarely acted out. In Malaysia, the oddity is that it is the politicians that actually openly incite the populace to act out their racist behaviors. Calling for blood and whatnot.

    The problem with Malaysia is racism is openly accepted as a norm. UiTM refuses entry to non-malays. The PKNS chairman should be a Malay. Hindu temples are not allowed to be constructed near muslim majority areas. Bibles and christian publications are not allowed to use the word Allah. (despite the fact that Prophet Muhammad himself recognizes that the Christian God and the Muslim God was actually the same)

    Such demands would have raised eyebrows even in racist countries like Australia. But in Malaysia, it is just accepted as an everyday occurrence and politicians brush of such issues as non-issues. In fact, the political leaders claim that it is their duty to enforce such actions as they are taking care of the sensitivities of the muslim majority to ensure harmony among all the races.

  37. I am certain that in any country there are racists. My family experienced that when we were visiting Australia and even NZ where we were shouted at by a passing van of guys on our first night in South Island – perhaps they were half drunk. Having said that, my brother who lives in Australia says that if he felt offended by any person, he could bring up matters under their race discrimination laws.
    In Malaysia people of all races have learned to be more accommodating as they know we have a racist government in power and people know how sensitive the matter is. We can see the goodwill among all races in most everyday situations like the supermarkets and the malls. Of course some people change the moment they appear in front of the TV in UMNO meetings.

  38. Malaysians are racist. In fact you can face racism in very day of life. Dont tell me that only malays are racist. They are chinese and indians who are racist. I have worked for many chinese owned companies. They are worst racist people. Their own race gets better pay and benefits even people from other races have the same qualification and experiences. The indians are racist too. They only willing to employ someone from their own “caste”. So we all are racist too.

  39. People in general are racist. maybe not to the extreme as the ku klux Klan, but a minute part existed that won’t cause any racial riots in our daily life.

    Heck, even apes and monkeys are racist. But nature does not erect any unfair rules in the playing field to favor that monkey or that ape kind. There may be big apes and small monkeys, but each kind learnt to survive on their own in a harsh environment.

    Now we have this umno ape, erecting all kinds of unnatural rules (institutionalized racism) in commerce, education, housing, you name it you have it, just to aid a particular ape or an elite ape at the expenses of other monkeys and apes.

    Like all unnatural rules, when nature swept in, they will not survive because for so long, they forgot how to adapt to the harsh environment. The world will pass them by without any sorrow.

  40. We are all racist. Bloody right. But we dont expect the government of the day to be racist and to implement official policies along clear racial lines. Now that is a different story altogether. “Chinese only” or “Indians only” or “Malays only” can be expected and to some extent accepted if they came from ordinary folks on the street. We are all animals as OrangRojak said and as animals we are inherently racist. Hence everyone in government has his own racists predisposition. The point is if he chooses to be in government he must then suppress his personal sentiments when he is acting in his official capacity or when he is in public view. Quite the contrary, in this country the umno government is actively and openly promoting racism and racist policies – policies that favour “umnoputras only”. Having said so, by and large, I am of the view that ordinary malays and indians are not too bad at all in the context of daily encounters.

  41. as animals we are inherently racist
    Uh yes – but just in case anybody thinks I was granting them carte blanche to gaily going about thinking they were better than everybody else because their parents are more closely related than anyone else’s – which is usually a bad thing, biologically speaking – animals, by and large, are also inherently rapists and murderers. We find it easy to decry the government-sponsored rape and murder that still goes on in some countries today, why cling to racism as though it’s somehow excusable?
    Being an animal is only an explanation for the occasional, genuine failure to be a human, not an excuse for a lifelong commitment to failure, nor lifelong adherence to a bestial way of life for its short-term individual benefits over long-term destruction of the society you live in.

  42. Having guilty conscience…Hugos
    Notice some comments are actually showing sign to agree with you…and no more insulting me?
    This means ….you may have save a lost soul….after all.
    But then..he maybe trying to outsmart us…by playing agree to disagree tactics.
    Think positive…but never trust a self confessed slimebag…….hahahahahahaha

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