Media should contribute to social harmony, not divisions

Certain media outlets in Malaysia have fallen into an obvious pattern of discrimination, sowing nationalistic discord in society. Most worryingly, such xenophobic content gets acted upon by both the enforcement authorities and ordinary citizens who should have no business monitoring foreigners in the country.

What appears to be a translation of the original article in Malay, published by an English daily on Dec 24, left a bad taste. Not only is the text chock-full of blatantly insulting language, the entire premise of the article is false. The offences feed into each other and fuel the common narrative of villainising foreign migrants in Malaysia.

Places where foreigners – but really foreign workers – live are referred to as “colonies” which likens them to invading pests. Their homes are called “settlements” which presumes that they are living there illegally. “Not only do these foreigners engage in business, but they also establish their own amenities,” says the author with an incredulity bordering on anger.

The one-sided account fails to appreciate the many economic benefits migrant labour brings. Instead, it demands “effective and sustained countermeasures by the authorities” to alleviate “the concern of the locals”. What exactly is concerning about foreign communities has been conveniently omitted. This is because any attempted argument would not be backed up by facts.

What “action” the authorities should take has not been specified, either. The immigration department clarifies and mentions raids where foreigners are “apprehended” (i.e. detained) but eventually released since “most of them have valid documents”. It is unsettling to see immigration detention being routinely used on specific groups of foreigners based on incidental factors such as their country of origin, occupation or place of residence.

According to the International Detention Coalition, “under international law, immigration detention is only meant to be used as a last resort and where it is necessary, reasonable, and proportionate to a legitimate government objective”. One is when there is a risk of someone absconding; two is when someone is a danger to public security. Neither of these applies to foreign migrant communities in Malaysia, or at least the majority.

Instead of promoting bigoted misconceptions, the media ought to give the public a balanced perspective on peoples of different nationalities, who all contribute to the country’s development in their own way. - FMT

Salsabil Gul is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.