On 21 March 2018, Pusat KOMAS, one of FORUM-ASIA members in Malaysia, launched its Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report 2017. From its media scanning, the year of 2017 has seen an increase in incidences of racial discrimination in Malaysia. As the 14th General Elections is around the corner, numerous politicians from all sides, have resorted to the usage of racial politics to win the political support of the people. The Malaysian Government have reneged on several of their substantive promises to promote national unity and social cohesion in the country. In fact, racism has become more pronounced and is being increasingly used as a tool to divide and rule.

The Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report 2017 highlights six trends of racial discrimination in Malaysia as follows:

1. Racial and Religious Discrimination 2. Racial Discrimination in Other Industries 3. Groups, Agencies and Individuals that use Provocative Racial Sentiments 4. Political Groups, Hate Speech and Racial Statements 5. Entrenched Racism among Malaysians 6. Xenophobic Behaviour.

The Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report 2017 is an exploratory observation of the trends of racial discrimination in Malaysia. It does not serve as an index; but, an indication of the issues of racial discrimination in Malaysia. Despite efforts to document issues of racial discrimination in Malaysia, numerous concerns were raised on the specific emphasis on incidences of racial discrimination. Numerous quarters have decried efforts to document these issues, emphasizing the need to look at efforts to promote national unity and social cohesion in our nation. The justification given is that the examination of the incidences of racial discrimination is an examination of isolated incidences that does not reflect the actual situation in Malaysia. However, the Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report 2017 intends to highlight emerging trends of racial discrimination that are prevalent in Malaysia so that immediate efforts could be undertaken to overcome these incidences.

To download the full report, click here.