West Malaysians should learn from East Malaysians how to live harmoniously, said Johan Ariffin A. Samad from the Institute of Development Studies Sabah.

Speaking on racial discrimination in the country, Johan said that East Malaysians, particularly Sabahans, have been living harmoniously for decades together with various religious groups.

“West Malaysians should learn from their brothers in the East. In Sabah, there are crosses everywhere. Signs of churches are all over town. I went to a Christian school but I never was converted.

“Sabahans have been living peacefully together for so many years. That is why we need to break away from this vicious cycle of racism. Go to East Malaysia, do the twist and enjoy,” said the CEO of the Institute of Development Studies Sabah during a forum this morning organised by Pusat Komas.

Johan said that East Malaysians have no problems with race and religion but are more concerned with the influx of illegal immigrants.

“The past federal government created an illegal community. This is the issue in Sabah, not race and religion.

“Illegal immigrants in Sabah were given blue identification cards by the previous government so the issue is totally different in the East, where the West does not understand,” he said.

Johan was responding to a question by prominent lawyer Siti Kassim on the rise of Malay supremacy under Pakatan Harapan’s administration.

Siti told the forum that the government failed to curb the Malay power narrative played by Umno and PAS.

“Political parties are using race and religion to gain attention and they are getting the attention. This is a serious problem and the government is failing to raise to the occasion.

“I feel we are under siege under PH. Not so much during Barisan Nasional’s time. It is much worse now than before. Why are we not using state-owned media to counter the narrative?” asked Siti.

Johan said the narrative used by Umno and PAS saying that Malays are being threatened was nonsense.

“There is no such thing as Malays being under threat, or Islam being sidelined. That is all nonsense. This is all driven by certain groups as well as the media.

“Have we ever witnessed a Malay wedding being disturbed by Chinese or Indians? Are we not able to perform our duties as Muslims? All the so-called threats are baseless accusations,” he added.

Bersih 2.0 chairperson Yap Swee Seng said that it was the state’s responsibility to correct the misconception of racial discrimination on the ground.

“It is the state who should correct the narrative, the misconception happening on the ground. They must send out the correct message for the public to understand.

“Civil society groups can also join in taking up the responsibility to send the right message,” said Yap.

The forum today was organised by Pusat Komas. The group also launched its 2018 report on racial discrimination in the country.

It was launched in conjunction with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. – March 21, 2019.