US' George Floyd incident a reminder for Malaysians on racism - Suhakam

Amid anti-racism protests in the US over the death of 46-year-old African American man George Floyd while being arrested, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) said the incident also serves as a timely reminder for Malaysians.

"Suhakam wishes to express its solidarity with the people of the US during this difficult period and finds it an opportune time to remind Malaysians that ingrained racism, subtle forms of racial discrimination and related intolerance occur in Malaysia as well.

"Recent incidences include the proliferation of hate speech and racial stereotyping, the politicisation of race issues for personal agendas, as well as targeting refugees and migrant workers in social media attacks and petitions calling for their repatriation," it said in a statement.

Anti-migrant sentiment had worsened following a series of Covid-19 outbreaks which the Health Ministry has partly attributed to the poor living conditions provided to them by employers.

"Rather than debate whether racism exists in Malaysia, perhaps it is time to move beyond the surface of unity and dive deep to undo decades of systematic racial discrimination.

"Suhakam calls for each and every one of us to stand up against racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes as racism is morally wrong in principle.

"The ability to look beyond religion, race, descent or place of birth is what we need to cultivate in a multiracial society such as Malaysia," it said.

Suhakam added that racism, xenophobia and intolerance elicit hatred and distrust, precluding attempts to understand the circumstances of those on the receiving end.

"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set out therein, without distinction of any kind, in particular as to race, colour or national origin," it said.

Floyd died on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota after local police put a knee over his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Floyd, who was handcuffed, had said he couldn't breathe but police did not heed him.

Police had responded to a call alleging that Floyd had purchased cigarettes using a counterfeit US$20 bill.

Derek Chauvin, the police officer who put his knee on Floyd's neck, is facing a murder charge while three other officers have also been charged with abetting him. The four police officers have been fired.

Protesters claim that Floyd's case is just one in a string of incidents where police target African Americans. - Mkini