A Sarawakian woman of Dayak descent was recently insulted and racially abused by a man in Shah Alam over 50 cents.
In a Facebook post, Carol (pseudonym), who works as a cashier at a shopping mall in Shah Alam was merely asking the man if he had 50 cents for his ice cream bill. The man, who was with his wife and kid was unhappy with the question and allegedly raised his voice.
The man also claimed to be from the authorities and threatened to handcuff her.
“He also threw the receipt back at me,” Carol said.
The wife intended to look for the coin in her bag and tried to calm the man down while their daughter watched on, but to no avail. The man continued to berate Carol, but what broke her heart was the man’s insult,
“Chinese people are like this.”
Carol then told him that she was not Chinese, but a Sarawakian of Dayak descent.
“Those words hurt me. It was like he was belittling me because of my race,” Carol explained.
Despite the insult, Carol apologised to the man, but the latter continued to vent his anger.
Minister urges police to take action
Carol, who is still affected by the incident, shared the matter with the Persatuan Anak Borneo Semenanjung (ABS), and the matter has caught the attention of Aaron Ago Dagang, the Minister of National Unity.
In an official statement by Aaron, he urged the police to conduct an immediate investigation into a viral video of a Dayak salesperson allegedly being threatened and scolded by a man.
“Incidents like this should not occur in our multi-racial and multi-religious society.”
“Every individual deserves to be treated with respect, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or social status.”
Aaron also reminded all Malaysians to uphold national harmony and unity by showing mutual respect and understanding, and said the National Unity Ministry will not tolerate any form of insult against any race in this country.
