Time to discuss racism and stereotyping, says NGO
PETALING JAYA: An NGO fighting against racism has called for public discussions on racial stereotyping.
Commenting on the recent spread of a Merdeka-themed video, Pusat Komas programme director Ryan Chua said the “quick defensive response” to it showed that the time was ripe for such frank discussions.
He said the video must have gone viral because of its racist remarks and stereotyping of Indians and Chinese, and showed that Indian and Chinese Malaysians believed their races were under attack.
“In our opinion, the reason Malaysians have been too defensive about this video is that the topics of racism and stereotypes had always been deemed too sensitive to be discussed,” he said.
“It is important to dismantle stereotypes and prejudices developed from young as these will be carried with us until adulthood, which is why open discussions are required even though it may be painful for all.”
In the video, titled “Mak, Dah Siap!” a Malay father is shown describing Indians and Chinese in derogatory terms and stereotyping them as “gangsters” and “drunk drivers”.
He is quickly reprimanded by his wife, but the son repeats the father’s racial slurs in a drawing he does for his homework.
The video then has the boy saying: “I was not born racist, but I was taught.”
Sociologist Denison Jayasooria agreed with Chua’s view on the need for open discussions and said political and community leaders should be at the forefront of these debates.
“We need to confront politicians who use race and religion and there must be a parliamentary group on ethics and integrity for MPs in and out of Parliament,” he said.
While the video has been bashed for its racist language, Jayasooria said its shock value was meant to illustrate a key passage from Nelson Mandela’s 1994 autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.
Quoting Mandela, he said: “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
“If we just posted the passage, we wouldn’t get any reaction. But the video has caused a reaction, and this is good.” - FMT
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