By Muhammad Shah Daniel
Edited by Izyan Nazihah
GOMBAK, 26th February 2024: “These Bangladeshi labour migrants worked legally in Malaysia, so it’s their right to enjoy their CNY holiday”- A Malaysian vlogger on TikTok tells locals to start being more considerate.
While Malaysians took the opportunity to enjoy and celebrate Chinese New Year (CNY), some people played tourist and decided to visit tourist spots in Kuala Lumpur (KL). However, there was a shocking view witnessed by locals, as they were not expecting KL to be flooded with foreigners, especially Bangladeshis.
A TikTok user, @fzlmrd, known as Faizal Murad, posted a short video clip over the CNY holiday on 10th February 2024. The video went viral and started to reach public views, which were estimated to be viewed by 4 million TikTok users, and the short clip's interpretation diverged from the statement.
Photography of Bangladeshi migrants roaming in KL | Source: TikTok @fzlmrd
In the video, a large group of Bangladeshis labour migrants were scattered around the area in KL. The caption instilled unsettling feelings about the sight of the city. While some comments under the video can be seen to be mocking and insulting these workers, some feel disappointed by the intention of the video’s owner. Many had discussed how Malaysians would feel like an outsider in their own country as they saw these workers start to outnumber them during the CNY holiday. Besides, some viewers expressed how they would feel unsafe walking around KL because there are too many immigrants, and, to add on, there is a comment comparing KL to Dhaka, a city in Bangladesh, due to the inundation of these labour migrants from the country.
The comment section filled with viewers’ personal opinions and statements | Source: TikTok @fzlmrd
A TikToker with the username @rifdiamri._, or Daddi, had an open discussion by posting a video of him giving his personal opinion and evaluation of the situation.
Video clip of Daddi’s speech and opinion on this issue | Source: TikTok @rifdiamri._
“I don’t see you all doing the same to the Westerners and Korean tourists or migrants.”
Locals usually will be fine with Western and Korean migrants, so he emphasised on the issues of skin colour, where racialism of Malaysians towards minorities of colours and beauty standards is still going on. He focused on the mere sense of letting the Bangladeshis enjoy their day off during CNY, and locals have absolutely zero right to stop them from doing so.
“We need to realise that there are also a lot of Malaysians who work abroad in Dubai and Australia as factory workers, fruit pickers, and domestic labour.”
In a sense, he mentioned another side of the perspective, in which Malaysians are also viewed in such a way by the locals abroad. Therefore, Malaysians should stop seeing themselves as superior. Instead, they should respect the migrants as other human beings by treating them with equality and justice.
The comment section under Daddi’s video filled with local’s opinions and perspectives | Source: TikTok @rifdiamri._
Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day; same goes for the common sense of some Malaysians nowadays. Instead of giving full attention to Daddi's intention of spreading awareness, there are still some viewers who oppose his opinions and use racial slurs to attack his messages in the video.
The comment section under Daddi’s video filled with local’s opinions and perspectives | Source: TikTok @rifdiamri._
What do you think of this situation? Were these Malaysian viewers and commentators concerned about the real issues, or were they just enjoying being racist?
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