Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report 2019
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Compiled and Prepared By: PUSAT KOMAS NON-DISCRIMINATION PROGRAMME Malaysia Page 1 | Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report 2019 All rights reserved © 2020 Pusat KOMAS The copyright of this report belongs to Pusat KOMAS. All or any part of this report may be reproduced provided acknowledgment of source is made or with Pusat KOMAS’s permission. Pusat KOMAS assumes no responsibility, warranty and liability, expressed or implied by the reproduction of this publication done without Pusat KOMAS permission. Notification of such use is required. Published in Malaysia by PUSAT KOMAS A-2-10, 8 Avenue, Jalan Sungai Jernih 8/1, Seksyen 8, 46050, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +603-79685415 Email: [email protected] Web: www.komas.org Graphics and Arts created by ZUNAR Web: www.zunar.my Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia / Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report 2019 ISBN 978-967-18080-1-6 1. Race discrimination--Malaysia. 2. Racism--Malaysia. 3. Discrimination--Malaysia. I. Pusat KOMAS. 305.809595 Printed By: Percetakan Kencana Sdn Bhd, No. 7 Jalan Lengkongan Brunei, Off Jalan Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Page 2 | Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report 2019 TITLE PAGE Glossary 1 Foreword 2 Executive Summary 3 Definition of Racial Discrimination 6 Efforts to Promote National Unity in Malaysia 8 Incidences of Racial Discrimination in Malaysia 22 1. Racial and Religious Politics 25 2. Racial and Religious Incitement 36 3. Racism in Education 39 4. Racial in Other Sectors 41 5. Racism in Social Media Among Malaysians 42 6. Racial in Parliament 45 7. Xenophobic Behaviour 47 Special Report: A Five-Year Overview of Racial Discrimination in Malaysia 49 Malaysian Federal Constitution 54 Malaysia’s International Human Rights Commitment in Elimination Racial Discrimination 56 Conclusions and Recommendations 62 About KOMAS 65 Page 3 Malaysia Raci iscrimination epo 019 ABIM Msli out Movement o Malaysia ASI sian Stratey an eaershi Institte Bersat Malaysian nited Inienous arty BFM The usiness tation BN ational ront Bumitera Malays and te aties o aa and araa M Chie Minister DAP emorati tion arty ean ayat ouse o arliaent oer iision on on The nited hinese ool ommittees ssoiation o Malaysia M eputy rie Minister EC letion ommission GMI Malaysian Msli tdents Coalition HRDF Human esoures Development nd IS Institte or evelopment tdies IM Msli ssoiation o Malaysia JAKIM Malaysian Islai evelopment eartent JAKOA eartment o ran sli Inienous eoles airs JI Unity Issues Manaement Committee at rai alliray LTTE ieration iers o amil elam MCA Malaysian hinese ssoiation MI Malaysian Inian onress M Member o arliaent MM Malay onomi tion ounil Mti Islai urist NGO on-Governmental ranisation PAP People’s Action Party PAS Malaysian Islai arty PH oe lliane PKAUM Uniersity Malaya adei ta Union M rie Minister PKR People’s Justice Party PUTRA Malaysia Mity Bumitera arty MK ational eondary chool UKM ational Uniersity Malaysia M Uniersity Malaya UMM Malaysian Msli olidarity UM United Malays ational ranisation yghur atie to te inian ethni minorities VC ie hanellor ZUNAR Zulilee M nar lhae Page 1 Malasi Racial Discrimination epo 019 No matter which government comes into power, our hope remas for a systematic approach in finding ways to tackle the difficult isse of rasm in Malasa and to promote national unity and cohesion. We call upon the new government to continue the efforts that were previous begun and to work vigorous to end this legacy of same that haunts Malasia over the last several decas. The 14th General Elections was a s at many s in changing Malasa for the better, particularly in tes of situtional refos which aim to strengthen the quality of democracy, good governance and human rights. Malasias have been calling for a Malasa that s free from scrimination – be it race, religion, language or other fos. Additionally, there are stinct demans on the government to reform las that will be able to curb the usage of hate seech, while maintaining the right to freedom of expsson. It s als more pssng than ever for the government to set up the Independent Commsson on Harmony s per the recommendation of the National Unity Constive Council (NUCC), which was sorted by the previous government. Pust KOMAS Malasa Racial Dscrimination Report 2019 mas the 5th year of s publication ths year, highlighting that the incidences of racial scrimination in Malasa continues to ris. Unfortunately, rasm hs become more pronounced and has been increasingly sed s a political tool to divide our society. 7 trends of racial scrimination in Malasa were identified, which includes scrimination in the education sctor, busness sector and other indusries racializing criminality, hate seech and the se of provocative racial sntiments Racial scrimination as reared its ugly head during the elections campaigning period. s witnessed before, there remas a number of individuas and right-wing groups that continue to fire up racial sntiments The purpos of creating a report s s ths, s to keep a record of Malasa in tes of our conduct on managing sss of racial scrimination. The Malasa Racial Disrimination Report s a sall effort to capture the tres of racial scrimination in Malasa, but it does not claim to cover the holisic view of the sss reported within the Malasa. In this report, Pust KOMAS has, for the st time, embarked upon monitoring the speechs of the Membes of Parliaments in Parliamentary sttings Surprisngly, we have found that even our esmed leas of the nation have sed to uttering racial ss in the Dewan Rakyat. JERALD JOSEPH ADVISOR PUSAT KOMAS Page 2 | si Racial Discrimination epo 019 The r 19 rke the cond-year of the katan rapan Government fte the nge f he lin government the rme Barisan Nasiona (B overnment, h a governe the ation the ast rs The overnment a brought ho o ll laysian ith t romis o reat a alaysia that inclusive, derate an globall pected This spiration reflected Pillar f the nifesto, wh promises o mplement olicies an programmes that nite he nation, create n sive society n mainta the harmon multi-racia n lti-religiou Malaysia Un the overnment, there as een some promising mprovement in the government’s commitment to phold edom o spee and xpression However, this freedom as exploited opportunistic ividuals, group an political artie b using he ace to ropagate cism Based on he xploratory bservation y sat MAS on the incidences o acia discrimination alaysia 19, the wa slight decrease in both e efforts to combat racial discrimination and to promote national unity and the number of media reports and incidences of racial discrimination in Malaysia. However, here is a ght se f he se f the acial nd religious rd politica actors. ese groups ould he opportunity o e heralde s the so-calle mpion o the own ce an ethnic rigin In the processes, the sguide act of championing he isive ause f their espective ce an ethn origin ha resulte heir demands for he xclusion n restriction o equa recognition foot othe thn group alaysia This occurrence could e bserve on both des f the olitical ide. fact, indings m his eport have als indicated that the ighest umber f nce an case o acia discrimination 2019 stemme racia an iou politics Apart om hat, ence of cia discrimination ere also aptured several othe secto such education, roperty, mployment an socia media. Xenophobic behaviou e lso documented this port These nces we categorized the Malaysia ia Discrimination port 19 o seven different rend o racia discrimination Malaysia follows: 1. Racia n Religiou Politics 2. Racia n Religiou Incitement 3. Racis Education 4. Racis Other Sectors 5. Racis Social Media 6. Racis Parliament 7. Xenophobic ehaviour Page 4 Malaysia Raci iscrimination epo 019 n orer to capture the inciences of racil iscrimination, the report ocmented cses of rcia iscrimintion s reorte in the meia, as ell s irect reports vi the Pust MAS eort cism mobie appiction As this reort is an exploratory oservtion it only reviewe inormtion n data that were ready vilable ven though numerous quarters m ecr the inciences erhaps alleging that the occrrences reporte b the meia ma be senstionaie, e beieve that the news reorte an obtaine vi the mobie ppiction not e ignore as it is vital or these cases to be ocmente As the report serves s n exportor observation, the inings rom this reort should not serve s an inex; but s an iniction of the isses of rci iscrimination in Malasi We elieve that this effort cn move the ntion orwrd to chieve the high standars o nationa nit that as reamt o b our oreathers an genertions beore s his report was conducted not only to ensre that the inciences of rcil iscrimination ere duly ocmente as reminer that the i inee tae lace, ut so to sur us into ining was that could overcome the isse Additionally, this reort is lso intene to e an important tool to aciitate engagement ith reevant steholders such as government gencies, poitica parties eduction institutions, acemicians an non-governmenta organitions (NGs he ocmentation of the inciences o rci iscrimination ould so be helpfu to rise wareness nd educte the pubic on the orring state nd extent o rci iscrimintion in the countr rthermore as this ocment aso contains inormation on eorts taken various inivias groups an agencies to promote nationa nit n socil cohesion, sch efforts could e repicte or expane pon he inciences o raci iscrimination as ell s the efforts to romote national unit n socia cohesion are comie rom minstrem onine mei sources, Pust MAS eort cism moile appication n secondar sources sch s accounts nd views rom inivias in soci mei.