Written By : R.Gunasekaran
PETALING JAYA: Amid the controversy surrounding a Merdeka-themed video with racist remarks, a sociologist says Malaysians seem to have ignored the film’s overarching message – that children are not born racist.
In the video titled “Mak, Dah Siap!” which went viral on Tuesday, a Malay father is shown describing Indians and Chinese in derogatory terms and stereotyping them as “gangsters” and “drunk drivers”.
He is quickly reprimanded by his wife, but the son soon repeats the same racial slurs and stereotypes mentioned by his father in a drawing he did for homework.
The video then has the boy saying: “I was not born racist, but I was taught.”
Speaking to theindependent.my, sociologist Denison Jayasooria said the video reflects an “inconvenient truth” that many Malaysians may yet be comfortable addressing.
“More often than not, videos tend to give positive images and not negative stereotypes, but this (video) is also needed to shock people about the reality on the ground,” said Jayasooria, a research fellow at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
“It shocks you, and you see the direct impact of the father’s perceptions on the next generation (son).
“I think people must view the video based on its intentions and objectives. I think people have missed the video’s message as they might not have got a good understanding of the last statement – that children are not born racist,” he said, calling the video a “communication tool”.
Describing the video as a “very creative way” to illustrate a stereotype in society through a negative example, Jayasooria said such scenarios play out in similar fashion in other ethnic communities as well.
Throughout the video, a disclaimer at the top of the screen says: “The racist words observed in this video are for filming purposes only and should not be practised at all.”
Nevertheless, it has faced a barrage of criticism from parties such as the National Patriots Association (Patriot), which called for action to be taken against the producers to deter others from “damaging the fragile social landscape”.
The Film Directors’ Association of Malaysia (FDAM) also weighed in on the matter, demanding that the home ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) take appropriate action against those responsible for the video.
Muslim NGO Ikram, which commissioned the film, has since apologised and removed it from its online platforms.
Stating that its original intention was to instil patriotism, Ikram said the main message of the video was to show the “current reality” among some members of the Malaysian community who tend to label other races negatively.
Warning of the dangers of children picking up beliefs about such stereotypes from an early age, Ikram called for the community, and parents in particular, to always set a good example.
In a separate interview with FMT, Ryan Chua, programme director of human rights group Pusat Komas, said Ikram should be lauded for raising the sensitive issue of how racism and stereotypes are spread among the public.
An NGO which promotes equality and the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination in Malaysia, Pusat Komas has been regularly highlighting the rise in racial and religious discrimination thorough its Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report, which has been published annually since 2015.
“I think this video is a good approach by Ikram to facilitate discussions of this very important topic,” said Chua.
“It could have been delivered better if there were more explanations on why the perpetuating of such stereotypes is not right.
“Though in the video it shows that the child learns those stereotypes from the father, little was done to correct the father’s actions. Nevertheless, we believe that Malaysians must be more open in approaching this matter.
“Children are not born racists, and we believe that this is the main message of the video, and this is what the viewers should take away from this film.”
