KUALA LUMPUR – As the nation celebrated the momentous milestone of storming into the Sudirman Cup semi-finals after a 12-year drought, racism once again reared its ugly head for all to see.
A Facebook user named Borhan Che Rahim was caught making a racist slur towards S.Kisona, calling her a “keling”.
The post was later taken down but not before it went viral and invited the wrath of Malaysians.
‘I will step down’
It was later revealed that the netizen named Borhan Che Rahim on Facebook was actually Bersatu Pasir Puteh vice-chairman Borhanuddin Che Rahim.
Following the backlash, he posted a lengthy statement on his Facebook account and apologised to all Malaysians for his distasteful remarks yesterday (Oct 3).
In the statement, Borhanuddin expressed regret and said it never crossed his mind to belittle any individual or race.
With this, I withdraw the statement and apologize publicly to all Malaysians, especially to those affected by the posting. I will change and be more sensitive moving forward.“
He added that he would be resigning from his position as deputy chief of Bersatu’s Pasir Puteh division for the sake of upholding the party’s reputation.
‘Zero tolerance for racism’
Many in the sports industry were enraged over the incident, including the Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM) who condemned the use of a racial slur against Kisona.
“Such a dreadful remark is uncalled for, and we urge all Malaysians to condemn this senseless act.”
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu also slammed the incident, calling it antithetical to the ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ concept.
Keluarga Malaysia (the Malaysian Family) is like a bunch of bananas, some are good, some are bad and some do not know how to use good language when talking about something.”
“We are made up of Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans and so on. Do not despise others because of their race, skin colour or religion… more so those who are fighting to make Malaysia’s name famous,” he said.
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Cover Images via Facebook
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh
