On 23 December 2023, MP for Tambun, and Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, in a speaking engagement with university students, casually used a slur that pertains to the Malaysian Indian community. He explained that he used the slur as he was quoting verbatim from the ancient texts, Hikayat Hang Tuah.
This incident caused a huge storm in the discourse surrounding race, history, and language in the country where these dynamics already remain fragile. The usage of this slur perpetuates racial stereotypes and cultivates ethnic division. PM Anwar’s casual usage of the slur immediately resulted in a heavy uptick of its usage in the wider Malaysian society particularly in social media websites. Many came to the defence of the PM, justifying that he never intended anything by it and that criticisms particularly from the Indian community should be tempered.
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