From P Ramasamy
The case of a hawker in Sepang, Selangor, displaying a racist sign barring Indians from purchasing corn may have been resolved with an apology, but it is only the tip of the iceberg in Malaysia’s deeply polarised society.
Ethnic and religious divisions continue to fester, with no signs of abating.
A few years ago, a similar incident occurred at a laundry in Johor, which displayed a sign stating it would only serve Muslim customers. That racist act was swiftly addressed by the Johor royalty, who intervened before tensions escalated.
In the Sepang incident, the public outcry against the use of the derogatory term led to the removal of the offensive sign and the hawker issuing an apology, promising not to repeat the offence.
However, isolated incidents like these are not new — and they are unlikely to be the last.
These cases reflect the ethnic and religious divisions that plague Malaysian society.
While Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has condemned the hawker’s actions, he and others cannot ignore their roles in perpetuating these divisions.
Political forces in the country have historically sown the seeds of racial and religious discord to maintain control.
The hawker’s racism may have been overt, but underlying socio-economic realities also play a role. Malays and Indians, though culturally distinct, share similar struggles in a system shaped by capitalist development.
Yet ruling cliques have used racial and religious differences to drive a wedge between communities.
As long as politics remain divided along ethnic and religious lines, hostility between Malays and non-Malays will persist — because the current political regime relies on these divisions to sustain itself.
These societal fractures provide fertile ground for acts of racism and religious slurs to flourish.
While overt racism is often associated with Malays, non-Malays also engage in discriminatory behaviour — though the form and expression may differ depending on ethnicity, class and social factors.
More often than not, it is the nature and implications of the state’s institutionalised racism that should be the primary cause and not so much individual acts, especially those emanating from the members of the working class.
Institutional racism, which is more harmful than individual expressions of racism, is often forgotten compared to the latter.
Unless those in power address the root causes of racism and the religious divide, these ugly manifestations will continue to surface.
Paradoxically, many of those opposing crude racist behaviour may also support a government that thrives on these divisions to maintain political dominance.
P Ramasamy is the Urimai chairman.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.