Our country's foundation is built on multiculturalism and this has helped distinguish Malaysia from all other countries in the world.
We stand out from the rest because we have demonstrated to the world how people of all races, religions and cultures can live together in harmony under the same roof.
There is no room for racism or sexism in this beautiful nation of ours and all forms to spread any of these must be rejected altogether.
However, recently two incidents highlighted by the National Union of Bank Employees are disturbing and can be seen as a threat to what our proud nation has fought for all this while - that all Malaysians are equal.
It disturbs me how in this age and time, there are still those who resort to racism and can go so low as to call their fellow worker 'Black'.
It is demeaning to label a person as 'Black' just because of his or her skin colour and such a horrid act should not be unpunished.
As a fellow Malaysian, regardless of religion, I am appalled by such an act and call upon our Unity Minister to look into this matter and put an end to such a practice.
We are a united nation and it is our unity that has brought us this far. It is time to weed out those who still practise racism and eliminate this culture.
Another incident which NUBE recently highlighted was one where a woman who was allegedly sexually harassed and also bullied was suddenly sacked a day before Deepavali.
It looks like the excuse from the bank is pathetic - that she was sacked merely because she failed to attend to an internal query by the bank.
From an outsider's perspective, it looks like the bank is trying to protect its senior officials though the perpetrator has been charged in court, at the expense of its normal staff.
By right, the bank should have come forward and offered the victim all the support and counselling she needed after having gone through years of sexual harassment.
From the reports, it was revealed that the perpetrator asked her to sleep with him and even sent her lewd pictures of himself.
Is the bank allowing such acts of sexual discrimination just because it concerns one of its officers? This is unacceptable and the minister concerned must put an end to such sexual discrimination.
Sexual harassment cases should not be left unchecked as it is a major problem among many and according to the Women’s group All Women’s Action Society, such cases are on the rise.
If such cases, though reported, go unpunished, it will only encourage more perpetrators who will become more daring to victimise innocent women.
These two incidents are truly shocking and something which should be rejected by our society altogether. The relevant ministers and authorities must not turn a blind eye to this and must put an end to such practices.
Sarah Ibrahim Daud is a reader of The Vibes
