Q: “Why very few Chinese Pak Guard”; A: “Short legs not good for chasing criminals”

 

A LOADED observation on X by Fendi #RobohKuilHaram (@BendiTheBagak) that he has never come across any Chinese having to toil as a Pak Guard (local slang for private security personnel) has invited plenty of ridicule and no small amount of trolling.

It was his experience that he has met Malays and Mamak (Indians) working as security guards but never Chinese.

“Does Chinese Pak Guard ever exist” was the question posed as he diverted from his favourite anti-illegal temple topic.

The clear insinuation by this right-leaning netizen was that the Chinese seem immune from economic hardships as they don’t need to toil in typical B40 occupations.

However, the poster feigning surprise fooled nobody as can be seen from the witty comments.

One anatomy expert claimed that the real reason for the lack of Chinese working in private security was due to their small physique.

“Chinese have shorter legs than other races, not easy to chase thief” was his hilarious retort underlining that many a netizen saw through the poster’s charade by responding with sarcasm.

A few others thought perhaps the best reply to such a question was for a touch of absurdist humour, pointing out that there were “tonnes of Chinese security guards in Mainland China!”

Joining in the comic relief was this joker who deadpanned that there were plenty of rail guards on the steps to the red-light pole at the entrance to Kuala Lumpur’s famed China Town (a.k.a. Petaling Street).

The poster was also criticised for his lack of experiences and limiting his interactions with his own kind. If he mingled more, he would notice plenty of Chinese volunteering in RELA (Malaysia Volunteers Corps Department) and as firefighters.

Editor’s Note: Though this is NOT the same as working a security guards, the commenter was probably trying to show that the Chinese were not the simply rich, sheltered types living in exclusive enclaves.

This sentiment that the poster was being blinkered was shared by few others who remarked that “there are Chinese guards depending on locations” or that “many Chinese residential neighbourhoods would only employ multi-racial locals as security guards”.

Such Chinese Pak Guards were also common in Chinese schools, according to some observant netizens.

Cutting to the chase, one commenter highlighted that there were all sorts of Chinese in Penang, including Mat Rempit and those eking out a living selling burgers by the roadside. The point was crystal clear – there are plenty of Chinese who fall into the B40 category.

On a more pragmatic note, some netizens surmised that the Chinese preferred to earn a living as a small trader – in the likes of a soya bean drinks seller or hawker for that matter – than work as a security guard.

Jokey retorts or not, it is quite heartening to see that enough Malaysians did not rise to the bait. Cybertroopers such as this poster have been busy pushing ‘us versus them’ narratives with this being the more subtle variety.

Instead of the usual shrill accusations of biadap (rude), insensitive and downright unpatriotic, these posts seek to create resentment by painting the Chinese as rich, pampered and immune to economic hardships.

Judging from the comments, plenty of netizens saw through this ploy to create mischief with their sarcastic remarks. The question is how many others are silently falling for this racist shtick and building resentment, bigotry and ill-feeling towards other races.

Malaysians need to remain vigilant, spot such invective disguised as innocent queries and shoot them down before they can infect more minds. –  Focus Malaysia