Xenophobia in Malaysia

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Xenophobia in Malaysia is the fear or hatred of any cultural group that is perceived as being foreign, and is often closely linked to racism. [1] In Malaysia, xenophobia is often targeted at foreign labourers who normally come from countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia. [2] [3] There is also a significant degree of xenophobia towards the neighbouring Singaporeans and Indonesians. Discrimination against those of African descent and East Malaysian people has also been reported. The majority of Malaysian xenophobic people are from Malay peninsular (West Malaysia) than in East Malaysia. [4]

Contents

By states

Penang

In 2014, Penang state government held a referendum that banned foreigners from cooking local cuisines. [5] And in this referendum, most of people said "YES".

These laws are criticised by foreigners. [6] A well-known local chef, Redzuawan Ismail, also criticised this law. [7] [ better source needed ]

Johor

In Johor, there are often complaints about Singaporeans who cross the border to take advantage of cheaper prices due to the weaker currency of Malaysia as compared to Singapore, blaming them for causing the prices in the state, especially Johor Baru, to increase significantly. As a result, Singaporeans who visit Johor are often targets of crime, especially robbery such as motor vehicle theft (Singaporean vehicles has a distinctive license plate) as well as snatch theft. [8]

See also

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References

  1. "International Migration, Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia" (PDF). International Labour Office; International Organization for Migration; Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. August 2001. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 March 2019.
  2. International Labour Organization (December 18, 2019). Public attitudes towards migrant workers in Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand (PDF). ISBN   9789220314289 . Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  3. "Uproar over intake of Bangladeshi workers exposes rampant xenophobia in Malaysia". asiancorrespondent.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  4. "NYT: Malaysia has xenophobia towards Africans" . Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  5. migration (24 October 2014). "Penang to ban foreign cooks at hawker stalls in bid to safeguard food heritage". The Straits Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  6. "Penang bans foreign cooks at hawker stalls - Poskod Malaysia". 28 October 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  7. "Penang bans foreign cooks at hawker stalls". ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.my. 2014-10-27. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  8. Alkhatib, Shaffiq (4 November 2016). "'It was the longest 10 minutes of my life': Singaporean bashed and robbed on highway in Johor". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 19 June 2022.

Further reading