Malaysians are xenophobic.
To avoid stereotyping, I'll say not all Malaysians are. But it's a possibility that most of them who are, work in the media.
Take this news report which highlighted the issue of ‘Africans doing business out in the open’. Read it or watch the video report below, and tell me if it makes you feel uncomfortable.
This story definitely made me feel uncomfortable. For one, it fails to convince me that these particular ‘Africans’ are abusing their student visas or don't have the proper permits to run a business.
If they are indeed here legally and have the necessary papers to set up shop, should they not be allowed to move freely and run their business without being accused of ‘causing trouble’?
This isn’t the first time Malaysia's media has demonised Africans. Over the years, there have been numerous news reports which labelled them as ‘Gagak Hitam’ (Black Crow) and blatantly accusing them of ‘causing trouble’.
Yes, there have been cases of our African visitors here breaking the law. And by all mean, these individuals should be dealt with by the authorities.
But it is offensive to stereotype and racially profile a specific ethnic group (actually, many ethnic groups) in such an unsubstantiated way. It's unfair to blame an entire continent consisting of 54 countries and 1.1 billion people.
I have many friends who are from Africa. One is a former colleague when I was teaching at a local university. He is from Sierra Leone and holds a PhD in the communications field.
Sulaiman is someone I am lucky to be able to call a friend for the past twelve years. Students love him for his approachable demeanor and colleagues and friends enjoy the company of his casual personality.
Sulaiman held a legit and valid working permit and his work as a university lecturer educating Malaysian youths was not illegal. He is involved in no activities which ‘cause trouble’.
Another close friend, I met while attending an international film festival in Europe many years ago. We were both participants of the festival’s talent campus.
Nikki is a South African from Durban and we have remained friends for almost a decade. She's been to Malaysia, and my wife and I hosted her during her visit.
She came to Malaysia on a tourist visa and definitely didn’t work here. We brought her around Klang Valley, and visited Putrajaya, Batu Caves and several other interesting sites.
Nikki is Caucasian. It would be a stretch to label her a Gagak Hitam too, and she is as white and ginger as an Irish.
During my university days in the UK, I had a classmate from Lagos, Nigeria. Uwakaneme has a very strong personality, and it took a while to warm up to him. But once he is your friend, he is fiercely loyal.
He doesn’t live in Malaysia but is married to a Malaysian. Gasp! You can almost hear the whispers - ‘Not only are they stealing our jobs, they’re stealing our women too!’
In my work and travel, I’ve made many good friends from Egypt, Tunisia, Botswana, Kenya, and other parts of Africa.
There are countries in Africa which have economies that are more developed than ours. And many more are growing more rapidly than Malaysia. Some have currencies that are way stronger than the Ringgit too.
Take for example South Africa and Botswana. With their strong economies, I find it hard to believe that their citizens would ever need to come to Malaysia to improve their quality of life.
Are Malaysians really so afraid for their jobs and economic opportunities? Are we that insecure?
We need to learn to understand things before we get all fidgety and act dumb. Be rational. But then again, the definition of xenophobia is ‘the intense and irrational fear against anything foreign’.
So how?
The opinions expressed in this article are those of of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the view of Astro AWANI.
Zan Azlee
Thu Jan 07 2016
This isnt the first time Malaysia's media has demonised Africans.
Ancaman bom palsu cetus panik di 100 sekolah di India
Ancaman bom palsu telah mencetuskan panik di sekolah di ibu negara India pada pagi Rabu dengan ibu bapa bergegas membawa pulang anak-anak mereka.
Pulau Pinang akan bincang, teliti kenaikan gaji penjawat awam negeri - Chow
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan membincangkan mengenai kenaikan gaji penjawat awam di negeri itu pada Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri akan datang, menurut Ketua Menteri Chow Kon Yeow.
Lawatan kerja PM bina keyakinan bagi syarikat Malaysia terlibat dalam projek besar di Arab Saudi
Kejayaan lawatan kerja Anwar ke Riyadh, Arab Saudi, baru-baru ini, membina keyakinan untuk syarikat Malaysia diberi peluang terlibat dalam projek-projek besar di negara tersebut.
Kerajaan tidak pinggirkan kaum India, laksana pelbagai inisiatif - PM Anwar
Kerajaan MADANI tidak pernah meminggirkan kaum India malah pelbagai inisiatif telah dilaksanakan bagi memperkasa komuniti berkenaan, kata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
AWANI Ringkas: Kebakaran | Kenaikan gaji penjawat awam
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
AWANI Tonight: Rallies across Asia, M'sia to call for greater labour rights
Some 1,500 workers in Malaysia marched through Dataran Merdeka to demand greater workers' rights, while workers and activists across Asia took to the streets in their respective capitals to mark Labour Day.
Lihat TVET, AI dan digital sebagai ekonomi baharu negara – PM Anwar
Dalam memastikan ekonomi negara terus ke hadapan, masyarakat digesa untuk tidak lagi terperangkap dalam stigma lama, atau mudah terpengaruh dengan hasutan-hasutan pihak tertentu.
Kritiklah, tapi jangan singgung soal 3R - PM Anwar
"Nak kebebasan maki hamun Raja-raja, apa nak jadi dengan negara ini? Tetapi semua bercakap tentang pertahan Melayu, parti pun parti Melayu."
Elak persepsi pojok, lawan propaganda murahan - PM Anwar
PM Anwar tegaskan kefahaman yang menyeluruh penting bagi memberi kefahaman tentang naratif yang dibawa kerajaan Madani.
Hak Palestin: Saya cuba sebaiknya, apa yang mampu
PM Anwar akui terkesan dengan kemampuan terhad untuk perjuang hak Palestin, susulan sokongan
Lupakan ego, pemimpin terbesar gereja Katolik cium kaki pemimpin Sudan Selatan
Dalam pertemuan itu, Pope Francis memohon agar kedua-dua pemimpin berkenaan mengembalikan keamanan di negara Afrika itu.