Malaysian racism against Africans and others
The e-mail below made the rounds some time back, and I got it through an e-mail list that often has the right ideas about Malaysia. I wanted to say though, how angry this particular thread made me.
Firstly, it smacks of a smear campaign against the university, although that is not my primary concern – my feelings towards the institution are neutral.
What I’m more concerned with is the racist attitude.
Many of us (thankfully) are now quick to point out and condemn racism amongst Malaysians – ie against Malays, Chinese, Indians, East Malaysians, etc.
And yet, we seem so willing to practise it against non-Malaysians?
This is nonsense. One cannot be selectively non-racist. Not being racist means not judging *anyone* by the colour of their skin or origin, period.
It means not making sweeping generalisations about any group of people, whether or not some of the problems associated with them are true or not.
Although less than eloquent, I’ve always liked to say that amongst every group of people, there are angels and assholes.
The same goes for the Africans mentioned below. I studied a lot of Africa in my uni days, met many Africans, and spent a little time working on the continent.
I can’t even say how offensive I found the language in the e-mail below, and how unfair it is to generalise as such. It breeds a culture of hate, which will never, ever solve any problems.
I was equally appalled by how some people seemed to accept and second the content so easily, people have been known to be anti-BN’s racism. This is merely giving into to simplistic fear mongering, and parochial insider-outsider thinking – the exact same thinking that lead to Malaysia’s race based parties.
I know that the trauma some victims go through is intense and tragic, but we must not lose our heads. If there are problems in our community, let’s deal with them for what they are, not through the hateful lens of seeing people only through their skin colour.
E-mail is below:
To all mothers with teenage and young daughters.
Subject: Beware of local university’s African students…! !
Please pass the news and warn the parents, government, students and society.
This is true and all happened within these two years!
I have a friend’s daughter who is studying in X University , and she was kidnapped by a Botswana student studying there as well. The African is 37 years old!
The daughter was kidnapped and managed to escape from that African. However, she had been raped, beaten, tied up and punched by the man. That bastard even got his African friends ( Botswana students too) to rape the daughter. Now the daughter is in trauma.
Because of this case, I have investigated amongst the X students, and there are more serious cases that had been happening within these two years. Please read and spread the news to your friends, it’s not rumours. Trust me, or you may ask any of the X students!
I am sad as it is all covered up by the X president – Y
The covered issues about Botswana students (African black):
(1) They take drugs in the University toilet and had been caught by security guard. However the president warned the guard not to spread the news.
(2) They take drugs in the university’s event, especially in the Orientation night organized by the students’ society and faculty. The lecturers saw the incident and they tried to stop, but they like to use the same sentence too against the lecturers: ‘who the f*ck you are, we paid to Y and Ypaid you, just shut up!’
(3) They get drunk and many accidents happened in Cyberjaya (too many accidents, you can check with the police station)
(4) They keep drugs in their apartments, i.e. Desa Ria, and even bring drugs to class. In the University party in Desa Ria, they took drugs and alcohol (Y’s daughter was there too).
(5) They disturb the female students, especially the Malay and Chinese students. They just take away and use their handphones without asking for permission (means they just grab!). The girls always feel scared and just keep silent as they do not know what the Botswana students (Africans) will do to them.
(6) There are classes in which of the students’ population is 70% Botswana students. They do not pay attention and cannot keep quiet in the class and the local students are disturbed by them. They even argue in the classes (not only once) when the male local students asked them to shut up, end up they fight. Lecturers tried to stop the Botswana students, again, they showed the same respond ‘who the f*ck you are, we paid to Y and Y paid you, just shut up!’
(7) They love to sexually harass the female students. This statement needs no further explanation! Ask the students!
(8) They do not submit assignments and are late in submitting assignments, but still pass! The concern is they still pass! What kind of quality I wonder? They deserve to repeat and fail. Is it the University policy? Their (African) government paid more to X University , so they can pass easily? They don’t even follow the lecturers’ guideline, how they can pass?
(9) They even act rude to the lecturers… The lecturers just keep quiet.
(10) They scratched the lecturers’ cars..
(11) They insulted the students’ counsellor in front of the crowd when they not managed to cut queue.
(12) They forced the female students to give their contact numbers.
(13) They gather at their hostel every night and get drunk.
(14) They kidnapped my friend’s daughter!
(15) They used Y’s and the vice president’s names to cover their ugliness, of which Y and the vice president knows! They allowed this to happen.
I hope you help to spread the news and I hope there will be a petition to ask the Higher Ministry of Education to look into the African students’ recruitment in Malaysia , especially X University . It is already
the hell of crime in Cyberjaya.. I am sure the African students bring harm.
If you do not believe, you can ask anyone of the X students, and ask them how is the African students’ attitude! The dark side of X University is all covered up. Please take serious action and discipline the Africans ( Botswana students). Just lodge the police report and do not feel fear! At least we stop them bring harm to our children!
PS: This email is also to tell the management of X to take action now. I need the students to spread the email and tell them that it is serious now, and no more covered! Soon we will record the videos and put in YouTube. It is so easy to capture their bad behaviour! STOP GIVING THEM TOO MUCH POWER! STOP COVERING UP FOR THEM!!
Thank you Nat!
nat: thank YOU Amir :)
I received this email long ago, as I am from the same university mentioned. In any case, I cannot confirmed the existence of the crime and the behavior of these students, as I never came across such.
As for drugs, there are several notices around the school and hostel warning students against drug abuse or risk arrest and expulsion. Same thing goes for alcohol, the hostel forbids students bringing alcohol into the hostel premises, although they still drink right outside the premises.
As for assignments, I hear some students would normally exploit loopholes in the system, although this isn’t limited to Africans. But one particular case angers me. In this one case, a girl from Botswana was supposed to fail her semester because she never attended class. The school told her parents about it, and they didn’t believe the school, used the race card, and threatened to sue the school for being racist. The school in the end gave her a free semester, but she still never came for class.
Personally I never had any bad experience with them, but the way they act sometimes gave me a bad impression of them as a whole. So maybe it’s a social thing.
Feels bad man =(
Some foregn migrant workers and students, are creating problem and suffering to Malaysians. And the Malaysian Govt is covering it up, because the corporations need such cheap labour and students (for profit sake – many of these students are also bogus ones). I myself, despite being an activist, have been sexually harassed many times, and have defended other women/girls, and made numerous police reports, against such violent foreigners (who have no respect for women due to their racist and sado-masochistic CULTURE – we are not talking about race here, so the racism accusation will not simplistically be manipulated here!) from Java, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mindanao. THis is the hard reality. So Instead of defending them blindly like a pretentious hard-left, I would suggest that you do demand investigation especially on such sexual violence and that these workers and students who violate the laws and harassed women/girls and other locals here, be sent home! But I find Karen Burmese and Nepalese Gurkhas very respectful towards women/girls and local customs! Don’t sound like those primitive men who think women only know how to make up stories when it comes to sexual violence!
Katharina Sri (former: Noor Aza)
Germany.
Nat, you were more exposed to universal students during ur Uni days in USA. Thus you understand them better. I agree with you that we should not discrimanate against skin color. Malaysians as a whole are are not exposed to universal students in a big way. They are now slowly being exposed at some local universities that caters for foreign students. I spend some time and effort in doing social work for foreign students in Malaysia. Generally, students from Central Asia and Africa are indeed not so easy to handle. Their value system about mannerism, curtesy, politeness, etc are different from what we are generally used to. I may say that they are generally more aggressive. Thus, it is this conflict that is sometimes vented through skin colors. We need an avenue to handle the problem cases so that it does not get mixed with racial n color tones.
Mr. Nat, I commend your stance on racism. But in this case, the term ‘knee-jerk’ reaction, comes to mind.
I may be mistaken and you did not come forth with the relevant information that you did investigate the veracity of the said email and you are certain in your mind that it is a genuine case of racism and not a real law and order problem.
You understand a reader’s predicament I dare say.
nat: Mr. Das, thank you for your response. I made no comment regarding the veracity of the case or issues raised. I am only saying that we should not approach this as a problem regarding a group of people defined by race, but rather as each individual case merits. All law and order problems should be dealt with as exactly that, and not as problems regarding certain races or nationalities.
Intellectually, I absolutely agree with you that racial profiling is as reprehensible as racism.
But we are human and certain things are not within the purview of rational reasoning. For instance, respect earned is respect given even if we do not want to give it.
Perception too, is of the same genre. It is determined by our experiences and formulates our beliefs and prejudices.
We are the product of our environment. The behavior and mannerisms of the occupants of the said environment make us who we are.
I am sorry if I appear argumentative but I assure you I have said my piece and henceforth shall keep my own council.
Thank you sir for your patience.
i wish malaysians would travel more and be exposed to different people and races so that they can stop paying attention at everything i do,even when i enter a toilet or dance,they are bound to stare and laugh as if they are seeing monkeys…its just a problem of civilizaton
This email has been circulated for a long long time.I wonder how true this email is.
It could have been the works of 1 person who doesn’t like the uni / college in concern,so circulate criticism against them.
well i think malaysians are one of the worst people on earth….bloody pakis….you all are the same…..if u sit in your house and think your daddy has the best set of shoes…..wait to lift your sorry ass out of the cubicle you call a country and see what others have to offer.