Discrimination has always existed here, says lawyer

What is the difference between Muslim-only laundrettes, Chinese-only roommates and apartment management directives to "not rent to Africans"?

The rhetorical question was posed by lawyer Syahredzan Johan in a Twitter posting yesterday, to which his answer was: none.

"Basically all three are discrimination...in different spheres,” he said to Malaysiakini, when asked to elaborate.

It is unhealthy, he added, to cast everything in a religious light, because doing that obscures other issues at play, which in this case is discrimination.

Malaysians need to realise that discrimination has always existed in the country in various forms, he said, pointing out that his latter two examples have been happening here for a long time.

"The fact that the Muslim-only laundrette has caused such an uproar is, I think, simply because there is now this concern with increasing demarcation between Muslims and non-Muslims here.

"But I think we need to look at it from another angle and we need to look at the aspect of discrimination within our society," Syahredzan said.

Discrimination, he said, is institutionalised in this country, and so Malaysians tend to be more accepting of it.

As such, there needs to be a discussion on what sort of discrimination is allowed in the country, he added.

Referring back to his earlier examples, he said questions that should be asked include whether it is okay for someone to determine who their roommates are or whether society can tell a private business that they should not discriminate.

"So I think these are discussions that need to happen moving forwards instead of just pigeonholing it as something like increasing Islamisation or Talibanisation," he said.

Prejudice another issue

Prejudice is also another issue that needs to be addressed, Syahredzan said.

The Muslims-only laundrette exists because there is a prejudice some Muslims that non-Muslims are somehow unclean, he said, while some places do not allow renting out to Africans because of the prejudiced belief that all Africans create problems.

"These are prevalent issues that are starting to crop up more and more," he said.

Syahredzan’s remarks come in the wake of the public outcry over news of a Muslims-only laundrette in Muar, Johor.

Pictures of the laundrette went viral last week, when it was reported that a sign on the premises indicated that only Muslims were allowed to use its laundry machines.

The laundrette operator maintained that he was not a racist, explaining that the shop’s policy was to ensure cleanliness for his clientele, most of whom are Muslims.

After the Johor ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar ordered a stop to the controversial policy, threatening closure otherwise, the operator took heed and said people of all religions would be able to patron his laundromat from now on.

Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching had also earlier called for the introduction of a comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation in response to the issue, which she described as a case of “clear-cut discrimination.”

Before the outcry over the Muslims-only laundrette, there had also been a furore over the “Better Beer Festival 2017.”

The event, which aims to promote smaller breweries, had been taking place in Kuala Lumpur since 2011 without much fanfare.

After the uproar triggered by PAS central committee member Riduan Mohd Nor, complaining that the event would lead to reprisals from extremists, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) refused to greenlight the event, citing "political sensitivities."

Inspector-general of police (IGP) Mohamad Fuzi Harun then said they put a stop to the beer festival because they had received information that “militants were planning to commit sabotage” at the festival.- Mkini