Topic > Racism in Malaysia

Racism, also known as racial discrimination, is usually defined as an act of prejudice, discrimination or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's race is superior, according to Oxford Dictionary. Malaysia, which is a very well-known country, is often highlighted and associated with cases and issues related to the word "racism". This is undoubtedly due to the characteristics of Malaysia which is a multiracial and multireligious country. Even today, inequality persists in this country and Malays are still forced to believe that every problem they encounter is one of Malays, or so-called Muslims, versus non-Muslims (Wong, CH, 2014). One of the main causes of racism in Malaysia is due to political reasons, and this has led to problems in maintaining the unity of Malaysia. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Politics has always been the foundation of a successful country, however in Malaysia, political issues are always said to be unfair or worse, biased . Since Malaysia's independence, racism has been used as a tool to "divide and rule" the country, as stated by Walden (2009). Today, most politicians do not work for the common good of their nation, but only for the benefit of their race. For example, the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), which took control of the country, granted a great deal of privileges to Muslim Malays, rather than other races (Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report, 2016). It seems to be normal when an individual tends to be selfish and only cares about his own good, and this mentality has indirectly caused the situation of racial discrimination in our government. Furthermore, outdated and outdated thinking is also one of the main causes of racism in Malaysia. Dr Lee Hwok Aun (2017) once stated that although we live on the same piece of land, most Malays are more likely to befriend and cooperate with their own race rather than join with other races. Lee also said that Malays living in the countryside do not like to communicate with non-Malays. Indians also preferred to live in separate neighborhoods where they isolated themselves from developing friendships with other ethnic groups. This situation has indirectly caused more consequences than one could ever imagine, such as serious ethnic prejudices and misunderstandings between races. In short, the narrow-minded citizens of Malaysia are the ones who have raised such extreme issues in the country. One of the major effects of racism in Malaysia is the racial dispute which occurred on May 13, 1969. This tragic event occurred due to the economic imbalance and injustice between Chinese and Malays which causes conflicts and killings from one race to another when jealousy prevailed on their conscience. This caused a nationwide emergency situation and spread fear among all Malaysians. This accident not only cast a shadow over all the victims, but also became a "black spot" in Malaysia's history. Furthermore, a survey based on the general elections showed that the majority of Malaysians tend to vote for candidates of their own race (Sharom, A., 2018). This leads to the consequence that those candidates who have the ability to lead the country well are not voted for, causing an imbalance of power of each race in the government. Simply put, improper distribution of power between races will lead to racial dispute in a country. Last but not least, racism also causes the failure to achieve unity in Malaysia. The way of thinking held by most Malaysians has, 36(3), 109-138.