Netizen ignites racial firestorm, warning others not to rent to Indians

 

LIVING IN Malaysia, we Malaysians can attest that this great country has a long journey to go for us to claim greatness.

And one major obstacle in the way has always been, and will always be racism. 

For some races, there is this invisible glass ceiling that stops them from achieving their full potential. We have stories of Chinese companies that prioritise Mandarin when hiring people. 

Or the government being overrepresented by Malay employees. And now, it comes in the form of netizen @dahfollowbelum warning people from renting out to Indian tenants.

More frightening was the fact that his post on X has caused a firestorm of comments, veering into racial stereotyping and hostile rhetoric, where some users justified blanket discrimination based on race. 

“A long time ago I rented at Taman Sentosa, Klang. The Indian owner himself does not want to rent out to other Indians unless the Indian renter happens to be a teacher,” said @MegiKariTeloQ.

Another netizen shared a story about his friend where the renter failed to make payment even after three months. He added that the unit suffered extensive damage. 

But some netizens had good experiences with Indian renters too. According to @BOQ1902, his Indian neighbours were extremely clean.

He added that one stretch of homes were filled with Indians and only one house appears to be dishevelled. “This is an individual problem, not the race,” he said.

Then there was @RimbaUtusan reminiscing about a really good Indian neighbour who bought KFC for him every time he got his salary.

Also, @sonofdeen pointed out that the owner should have been more diplomatic when refusing a tenant.

“To me, the right to rent out to anyone is the ultimate right of the owner,” said @AaBb312192.

The truth is, bad tenants exist. So do irresponsible landlords. But somewhere along the way, individual experiences become sweeping conclusions, and sweeping conclusions become prejudice.

No race has a monopoly on being perfect or problematic. Malaysians know this better than most because we live, work and build communities together every day. 

If we continue to judge entire groups based on isolated encounters, then the real damage goes far beyond a rental agreement. It chips away at the trust that holds a diverse nation together. — Focus Malaysia