Ban racist comic book, NGO coalition tells gov't

A coalition of non-governmental organisations has condemned a comic book distributed at a government function as "racist and xenophobic".

Its distribution should be stopped and the government should take action against its publisher, said the Working Group on National Ratification of International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

The Malay Mail in a report yesterday said the comic book, ‘M1 Malaysia - Majalah Untuk Rakyat', was distributed at the Teksi Rakyat 1Malaysia(TR1MA) event on June 24, officiated by Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The comic book has a segment titled ‘1Malaysia vs 1Pati', which begins with a boy appreciating Malaysia's multiracial society, but then runs away from a group of dark-skinned people.

"Haa... this is not 1Malaysia but 1Pati who wants to destroy the country. Keep yourself away from Mr Charcoal (Awang Arang)," the comic character says.

‘Pati' is the acronym for illegal immigrants in the Malay language -pendatang asing tanpa izin.

The Malay Mail also reported that the event organiser, Land and Public Transport Commission (Spad) and the Home Ministry's Publication Control and Quran Text Division are both unaware of the publication.

"We will call up the publisher (Blue Pipe Studio Enterprise) and ask for their explanation. We will ban the publication, if necessary," the division's secretary, Abd Aziz Md Nor, is quoted as saying.

The newspaper also quoted an unnamed source as saying that the Home Ministry had overlooked the publication because it lacked sufficient enforcement officers, and that the book was distributed by hand at a government function, instead of being sold at public bookstands.

The report also said the Home Ministry was still gathering evidence before commencing investigations.

Comic book an embarassment

The ICERD working group, consisting of eight NGOs including the Bar Council Human Rights Committee, Lawyers for Liberty, Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia and Institute of Ethnic Studies, said the book was an embarrassment.

"This xenophobic behaviour or the ridiculous and unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners is truly embarrassing for our nation and our multicultural population.

"It is a total contradiction to the common claim that Malaysians are very sensitive to one another despite racial and religious differences, and that we have achieved the delicate balance of unity in diversity," the group said in a statement yesterday.

It also pointed out that Malaysia was not among the 175 countries that have ratified the ICERD, and urged the government to do so immediately.

"As a member of the United Nations and the Human Rights Council, Malaysia has the obligation to protect all citizens and non-citizens in our country.

"It is high time that Malaysia shows its genuine and sincere commitment to support and implement human rights mechanisms to combat racism and discrimination in Malaysia," stressed the working group.