KUALA LUMPUR – The racist slur aimed at national women’s singles shuttler S. Kisona on Facebook is proof that the country is in urgent need of a law to curb discrimination and racism, said PKR Youth vice-chief Thiban Subbramaniam today.
He urged for the National Unity Ministry and law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar to restudy the proposal to introduce a specific bill that could allow the government to take action against any party who make sensitive statements to break the unity of the people.
“Before this, there had been effort to introduce the National Harmony Bill to replace the Sedition Act (1948), but it was merely a polemic statement.
“Efforts to rectify ICERD (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination) also failed as it was deemed unsuitable for Malaysian culture.
“But the government could introduce an act that is ours that would include legal actions to curb issues such as insults of religions and discrimination based on race, religion and colour of one’s skin, that has worsened today,” Thiban said in a statement.
He said human rights NGO Pusat Komas’ report in 2016 showed that racism does not only happen in the sports field, but also in education, business, and politics, among others.
Yesterday, a Facebook user, Borhan Che Rahim issued an apology and tendered his resignation as deputy chief of Bersatu’s Pasir Puteh division in Kelantan after backlash over racist remarks towards Kisona.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu also condemned the racist comments by the individual, but Thiban said it is not enough to ensure such an incident would not repeat.
“I urged for the youth and sports minister to start legal action against individuals who provoke racism, and ensure that there will not be any space for racism in the nation’s sports sector,” he said. – The Vibes, October 4, 2021
