A racial slur is “a stupid thing to say”

KUALA LUMPUR: A video shot to commemorate Malaysia Day has turned out to be a surprisingly heartwarming reflection of how Malaysians are far from the racist bunch our politicians make us out to be.

The video, that has since gone viral, shows a group of Malaysians of various races and ages agreeing to attend a casting session.

Without knowing what the casting was for, without a script, and without knowing the camera was rolling, they willingly agreed to repeat phrases like “I’m Malaysian”, I love Malaysian food”, “I love my country” and “Saya suka masyarakat Malaysia” as part of a warm-up.

And then, you see everyone stumped when they have to repeat a racial slur.

Expressing disbelief and shock, with some even looking quite uncomfortable and shifting in their seats, not even one agrees to repeat the racial slur suggested to them.

Among the racist remarks were “Melayu semua malas”, “Cina semua pendatang” and “India semua pemabuk”.

While many politely refused, some looked insulted and one man said, “That’s a stupid thing to say.” One participant got so incensed with the racist stereotypes, he said, “Stop being an a…hole”

Others said, “That’s rude”, and “I’m not here for a racist thing”. One woman outright disagreed that Malaysians were racist, saying simply, “No. No. No.”

When no one relented, money was offered instead…

But even that proved a dead end.

One man said no amount of money would get him to say “Melayu bodoh” and one woman said, “I will not say it. You can give me a million” while another, holding his hands up in despair but still smiling said, “I don’t want to be a part of it, know what I mean?”

What this video shows in no uncertain terms is that Malaysians are a harmonious bunch, willing to live in peace with each other and refusing to buy into the talk of racism that dominates our political scene.

So to all our political leaders and race-based NGOs out there, a plea goes out to all of you to stop dividing the nation along racial lines because racism is not something Malaysians subscribe to.

Happy Malaysia Day!

Click Here to watch the video.