As the world mourns the death of George Floyd and other victims from the black community, personal accounts of racism and xenophobia have surfaced in Malaysia. Black students and employees have been scrutinised by policemen and other Malaysians, who justify their behaviour by reference to racist stereotypes, which are reinforced by the mass media.
Whilst members of the black community in Malaysia have endured fear, discrimination, persecution, and have lost loved ones to police brutality, many deny that racism exists in ‘cosmopolitan’ Malaysia.
MALAYSIA PROMOTES RACIST BEAUTY STANDARDS
Across Asia, a fetish for light skin can be observed in beauty advertising and popular beauty tips include staying out of the sun, so as not to tan. Darker skin is associated with poverty. This dates back to the agricultural era, when the poor laboured outdoors in harsh conditions. Colonialism also played a role, creating a hierarchy with White people at the top.
Resultingly, skin bleaching products are widely used in Malaysia, despite the dangers of using them. Consumers continue to buy skin bleaching products, ignoring one of the key ingredients – mercury. Many Malaysians are unaware of the dangers of mercury, which is used in whitening products to hinder melanin production. The use of mercury can lead to kidney and/or nerve damage, hyperpigmentation, and chronic mental health conditions. Skin bleaching products do not follow FDA regulations and contain 19,000 times more mercury than is recommended. Despite this, the international market is expected to reach US$8.9 billion in 2027.
RACISM IS PREVALENT IN MALAYSIAN SCHOOLS
Yasmin Raquq and Cassandra Chow, International Relations students from the University of Nottingham Malaysia, have shared unpleasant memories of their time at school in Malaysia. Yasmin has said:
“I observed that there was a lot of hostility in my school towards Indians and Africans, particularly when a new principal was elected. She made many negative comments towards Indians and Black people alike in our school assemblies, saying that Indian people are trouble makers. She also said “Why are those Black Africans succeeding and rich, and Malaysians not? Because we are so lazy that we even let black people surpass us.””
Cassandra observed internalised racism back in Johor Bahru, where the school principal instilled ethnocentric norms to control cultural assimilation. Students were not allowed to speak in other languages besides English and expressed prejudice towards Indian students and anyone who had darker skin. Cassandra has said:
“I remember an incident in class where we had a spot check for our nails and the vice principal (VP) said to an Indian classmate “Why are your hands so dirty?”, referring to the natural occurrence in darker people where there is darker skin on the back of the hand but lighter skin on the palm. Constantly, the VPs would single out darker students to be punished for the same things that Chinese students got away with. There was another incident where a VP rounded up all the Indian girls in my form, then accused them of wearing makeup. Her reason? Their eyebrows were too thick and well-groomed. In free periods (for students who don’t take Chinese language as a class – thus, mostly Malays and Indians), the librarians would always single out Indian girls for being talkative, even if the whole library was noisy.”
Indian-Malaysian student Sarah* has corroborated these accounts. Sarah attended a private school, where racism was also rife. One individual constantly taunted Sarah and mocked her for picking chapati and curry at the canteen. Sarah recalls:
“She would single me out (being the only Indian in my class) and say “Oh Sarah, this must be what you eat all the time right?”, whilst using a stereotypical, Indian accent. Keep in mind, I was around 7 or 8 when this happened. As a child, I thought it was funny since everyone else around me was laughing. But as I reflect on it now, I realize how disrespectful it was.”
Racism also prevents students with stellar grades getting into elite universities. Many have been rejected from scholarship grants and those with fewer distinctions were prioritised. This has caused many to seek their educations abroad. Ultimately, Malaysia’s failure to create a truly meritocratic education system is regressive.
MALAYSIA’S BLACK COMMUNITY IS TARGETED BY THE POLICE AND DENIED HOUSING
Nigerian student Anne, who moved to Malaysia as a child, has repeatedly experienced racism. A racial slur “orang hitam” (black person) was addressed to her after she was accused of allegedly stealing a stranger’s phone. Fellow children also discriminated against her, saying “if you can whiten the lines in your palm, then you can hang out with us.”
Then, last year, Anne experienced another racist incident whilst in the car with her mother. Upon approaching a junction, a policeman slowed down to track their car. He then pulled them over. Anne and her mother offered to step out of the car. However, the policeman refused their proposal. Instead, he interrogated Anne and her mother, demanding to know was possessions and assets were in the car. He then demanded that they open the car boot, and proceeded to search the entire car. Once the search was concluded, he requested Anne’s mother’s passport and driver’s license. Despite utmost compliance, the policeman insisted that he had found “something” in the car and requested a bribe of RM1000 to not bring Anne and her mother to the police station.
Racism is also seen in the housing market, with discriminatory banners often found outside housing. The banner below reads “tuan rumah diminta tidak menyewa rumah kepada ‘n****’”, which translates as “the landlord is requested to not rent to a ‘n****’”. The banner also displays a target of housing no Africans (“0%”) by 2017. Malaysian law does not currently prevent landlords from discriminating in this way. Further, no legal provision is made for impacted persons to file complaints. Some landlords have also proposed extending this discrimination to the Chinese and Indian communities.
HOW CAN THESE PROBLEMS BE SOLVED?
Educators should be accountable to parents, and must be mindful of racism within the classroom. Moral education should also be provided to students and teachers, and should promote the value of harmonious diversity, instead of assimilation and nationalism. Anti-discrimination laws must be also be drafted and Malaysian politicians should promote a culture of pluralism.
Thea was an educator with a Diploma in Early Childhood Education. She now pursues a degree in International Relations in hopes to expand her horizons as an advocate for children.