KUALA LUMPUR – A Sabah MP pointed out that the recent incident involving a Sabahan food delivery rider and another man was an example of how youths from the state are facing alleged discrimination.
In her debate for Budget 2024 at the committee stage in Parliament today, Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Kota Belud-Warisan) said due to unbalanced economic development in the East Malaysian state, Sabahan youths have no choice but to venture to the peninsula for job opportunities.
“In the viral incident recently, a youth from Tawau who was merely doing his job was roughed up just because he was assumed to be an ‘orang luar’ (outsider) due to his Sabahan (accent).
“The most hurtful thing for Sabahans is when we’re asked ‘why is your language different?’ Do you know what this feels like? It makes us feel as if we’re foreigners,” Isnaraissah said.
She also highlighted how Sabah and Sarawak have significantly contributed to the nation’s prosperity since forming Malaysia in 1963 along with Malaya, stressing that without either state, the nation’s formation would not have been possible.
“Why are we (Sabah) not being recognised? Give us some respect, even though our friends are low-grade workers.
“Remember that Malaysia’s well-being is because of natural resources from Sabah and Sarawak. Without us, there would be no Malaysia,” she said.
Last week, it was reported that a Sabahan food delivery rider was physically assaulted by an individual in a red blazer after a verbal row with a security guard who rejected the rider’s attempts to enter the Tun Razak Exchange building.
Clips of the incident made the rounds on social media, leading to Sabahans expressing their ire over how the perpetrator had persistently accused the rider of being a foreigner based on his spoken dialect, despite the rider’s insistence that he was Sabahan.
Following the incident, law firm Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak stepped forward to advocate for the rider.
However, it was reported yesterday that the wife of the alleged assailant claimed that the case had been resolved after the rider and her husband met to make peace over the incident.
Dang Wangi deputy police chief Nazron Abd Yusof confirmed with Scoop that five individuals were called to provide their statements to assist in the investigation into the altercation.
He also stated that since police have not been informed about the supposed reconciliation, they will continue their investigation under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing harm. – November 6, 2023