JULY 21 — Much has been discussed and speculated about the Low Yat Plaza riots. Some say it was fueled by racial hatred. Others claim it was due to dishonesty and cheating. A number claim it's a smokescreen to divert attention away from an acronymic national scandal. A few opined that it's a PR exercise to reclaim the social standing of those walking in the corridors of power.
Call it what you want, the incident sparked by the alleged theft of a mobile phone had unfortunately taken on racial overtones because many remain apathetic when it came to fact checking.
It was of course, more convenient to share supposed “facts” and “information” related to the incident on social media rather than laboriously verifying the authenticity and credibility of such information and its sources.
Many are after all, compelled to quickly share stories and information by claiming that they heard it from someone who was there. And when you ask that someone, they quickly state that they had actually heard it from someone who was there. And so forth.
According to the media, a crowd of approximately 200 individuals speedily gathered outside the mall demanding for “justice” for their compatriot who was supposedly ripped off. In all likelihood, the majority of those involved wouldn't have actually asked about what happened. Many could've acted brashly and impertinently. Herd mentality.
Concurrently, social media started going abuzz with conspiracy theorists, soothsayers and self-proclaimed political scientists stating claim about the accuracy of their predictions related to the state of ethnic relations in Malaysia.
Proudly, many stated how their much-predicted racial riot was taking place, or how they accurately predicted another 13 May-like incident, or how the streets of Kuala Lumpur were becoming a precarious place to be at.
Most regretfully, such information were similarly, like those on the streets, quickly shared without properly verifying the truth behind what was taking place. Some shared supposed “warnings” from “official channels” informing certain ethnic communities to not set foot in certain places to avoid being assaulted by angered groups.
Some even started posting comments about worried parents requesting their children or relatives currently in Malaysia to drop everything and literally hop onto the next plane out of the country.
It didn't matter to these individuals whether such claims were true or not. These “valiant acts” were of course possibly carried out to garner the most “shares”, “likes” and “comments” on their social media accounts. It is of course, to fulfill their civic responsibility as netizens, or so they claim.
A few individuals did, however, call for calm and to not be affected. Such calls not to overreact were of course, not entirely popular as these less sensational comments did not receive as many “likes” or “shares”.
And because someone somewhere decided that the wisest thing to do was to click the share button on social media without verifying the information received, this eventually created a sense of anxiety that quickly spread amongst many Malaysians. Fortunately, no other untoward incidences occurred as the result of these actions.
The Low Yat Plaza riots thus becomes another example of the power of social media and of mob rule. Many became quickly agitated and emotionally aroused online and offline simply because they didn't bother to question the credibility of such information.
What remains a paradox is that while information in today's digital age has becomes so easily shared and readily available, it's also a time when information needs to be critically dissected and its authenticity verified more than ever before.
At the same time, many Malaysians felt anxious about the Low Yat Plaza riots due to the current state of ethnic relations being in its most fragile state. Any forms of dispute can be easily misconstrued and self-justified into creating racial strife.
Yet, we continually witness how certain politicians and Malaysians get away despite uttering seditious and racist remarks. Despite being caught on camera, they claim to be misquoted by the press.
While many Malaysians condemned the rioters as having racial agendas, how many Malaysians dare state that they are completely innocent of viewing other Malaysians through stereotyped and racial lenses?
Ask any Malaysian about their identity and many would quickly state that they're Malay/Chinese/Indian/Kadazan/Murut. A follow up question of “aren't you Malaysian?” would leave many puzzled or to promptly retort that their initial answer was in fact Malaysian.
Such responses clearly demonstrate how allegiance and identification towards ethnicity has become so deeply rooted within our social and political consciousness. Malaysians hardly refer to each other as individuals but according to one's ethnicity through statements such that Malay man; that Chinese woman; that Indian guy and so forth.
Yet, as a minority of moderate voices attempt to prevent ethnic tension from further escalating, their voices are however drowned out by the ever growing tide of extremists and radicals championing racist and prejudiced agendas.
There regretfully isn't any one-off solution to resolve racism as it is so prevalent all over the world. It is a problem that cannot be resolved overnight.
Controlling the Internet and censoring popular culture wouldn't make this problem disappear. Reprimanding those who acted in so-called seditious behaviour would for one make others more careful in word and deed but the problem remains.
At the same time, certain newspapers and television channels that continue spewing racist and xenophobic remarks need more than just being given a slap on the wrist.
Inter-ethnic marriages that blur ethnic lines or educating our children about the perils of racism wouldn't be the most effective measures as the socialisation process eventually places ethnic labelling upon all Malaysians through constant reminders about one's ethnicity.
Suggestions to outlaw racism and introducing a Race Relations Act would be a positive move in the right direction.
The calls for the formation of a political party free of ethnic based politics can only work should all ethnic and racial differences be left outside the door. But how many of those in positions of power are actually willing to do so?
Efforts at rectifying this problem can only begin when we stop living in denial and acknowledge that the state of ethnic relations is currently in trouble. Otherwise the attempt for national unity through the “Bangsa Malaysia” or 1Malaysia would simply be mere rhetoric.
We can of course continue to blame the former colonialist's divide and rule policy and race based politics for ethnically dividing Malaysians. Many can choose to remain ignorant that the Communist bogeyman still exists.
Yet we need to most importantly acknowledge is that the issues and problems we face today aren't exactly because of one's race or ethnicity. These so-called threats faced by ethnic communities are in fact excuses to conceal problems that are very much class-based. Economic and social problems such as poverty, unemployment and homelessness do not discriminate based on skin colour but cuts across the boundaries of race, religion and creed.
Furthermore, race champions profit a lot from ethnic politics as their survival depends on propelling “ethnic fear” of the ‘Other.’
In the end, perhaps the solution to racism is simply by celebrating differences and diversity and by being nicer to one another. It’s also good to always verify what we hear about other ethnic communities before acting or passing judgment. If you say that it's really not that easy, may I so humbly ask what then is your proposed solution?
Perhaps I am being naive or overtly optimistic. Perhaps I sincerely believe that one day every Malaysian would be simply recognised as Malaysian. Perhaps I too, like Martin Luther King Jr, have a dream. Perhaps one day, I dream that Malaysians will not judge based on the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character. Hopefully, this dream doesn't turn out to be nightmare beforehand
* This is the personal opinion of the organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
