Spot A Racist? Use This App To Report That Person
Yay or nay?
By Tang Ruxyn — 03 Nov 2016, 10:29 AM
A local NGO has introduced a smartphone app to tackle the issue of racism in Malaysia
Human rights NGO Pusat Komas launched the 'Report Racism MY' smartphone application (app) yesterday, 2 November.
The smartphone app will change the way Malaysians approach racism, as it will enable them to report on any acts of racial discrimination.
People who are racially discriminated no longer have to tolerate racism and suffer in silence
It was reported that the app was developed in response to the yearly Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report.
Programme coordinator Ryan Chua said the collected data will be published in next year's report, adding that the previous reports that study the trends of racial discrimination in Malaysia were mostly limited to racial discrimination incidents that were reported in the media.
"The application is a platform for people to submit reports of racial discrimination to us."
"If you feel racially discriminated, instead of going to social media, you can submit these kinds of incidents to us," Chua was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini.
The good news, or bad, depending how it's perceived, is that reports can be submitted anonymously
According to Chua, the person who is submitting the report can remain anonymous if necessary.
This is because Pusat Komas believes that some may not be so comfortable with sharing their personal details.
Once a complaint is made, the person who made the complaint will also receive a copy of the report for his or her own reference.
The app will only be available on 16 November onwards on both the Apple Store and Google Play
Secretary-general of the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights Malaysia (Proham) Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria
Image via Malay Mail OnlineAdmitting that Pusat Komas was still in the process of making the application user-friendly, Chua said the group was also thinking of ways to collaborate with government agencies.
Lauding the application’s significance, secretary-general of the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights Malaysia (Proham) Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, said acts of racial discrimination were only spoken of in coffee shops in the past.
By documenting such instances, it would be possible to determine whether such acts occurred verbally or were more prone to happening in workplaces or public areas like supermarkets.
malaysiakini.com