Written by Chen Zhi Han, a member of Akar Umbi Kita, a programme for emerging advocates against racial discrimination by Architects of Diversity, Imagined Malaysia, IDEAS and the European Union. This article is published in conjunction with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

I recall sitting in a line during my secondary school orientation, when the school was just announcing the distribution of classes. Behind me were a mix of friends from primary school, mainly consisting of Chinese students. As we all came from a Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJK(C)), taking our first step into a Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) was a different and much more diverse experience for us, and you could tell this just by the conversations floating in the air. Various derogatory terms about other races were thrown around without much thought, likely sourced from the internet or possibly from their parents themselves. Since I was never raised hearing these terms, I did not quite fully understand the meaning behind these words. I only knew that there was something wrong, and I was slightly uncomfortable, but as a young Form 1 kid, all I did was laugh along with them, pushing the uneasiness into the back of my head.

Unfortunately, it is highly likely that this situation commonly occurs across countless schools in Malaysia. What makes matters worse is that these distasteful jokes are just the tip of the racial discrimination iceberg. While direct verbal discrimination and bullying might become less of a problem as we and the people around us mature, racial prejudices still persist in other forms, some more complicated and serious than you might think. 

Let me illustrate this with my personal experience. In secondary school, friend groups rarely consisted of mixed races. In my local matriculation, Chinese students had their own social media groups and events. In university, Chinese students have their own exclusive study groups open amongst themselves only. However, what you might find surprising is that the majority of these people are not inherently racist at all. They do not have problems becoming friends or working together with students from other races, and they do not purposely avoid hanging out with people outside of their culture. This is why I firmly believe that it is not our nature to be racist. Instead, it is simply our nature to seek comfort in familiarity and fear what is unknown. Nonetheless, the issue arises when this very nature clashes with our idea of racial harmony. Indeed, how do we expect to understand each other when we do not even interact with each other? It must be apparent to all Malaysians that there is no way we can make this a better country for everyone when we ourselves are afraid to step out from our own comfort zones.

Of course, it is fairly easy to push all of these responsibilities onto the government and their policies, but they have had 58 years to make a change, while we need change now. As the younger generation, the time has come for us to inspire change in ourselves. To start, we must first be aware of how we treat our peers from other races and how we view them any differently. We have to be willing to let go of our racial identity at times to interact with others, and finally view each other as Malaysians – as humans. After all, why should we be crying about inequality if we do not even see each other as equals?

What we always have to remember is that in the end, it all comes down to our own choice. Prejudices are normal because of the way we grew up and we cannot blame ourselves for it, but it is also a conscious choice to be aware of that prejudice and work towards eliminating it. With time, I truly believe that we can be the driving force to bring peace to our country. Peace that all Malaysians deserve.