Malaysian employment?

Travel Info
How many of you guys came across employment opportunities these days with employers who post such requirements?

Female, 18yrs, Speak Mandarin, SPM, ... (and whatever requirements), and last words... CHINESE ONLY (in capital and bold, for example).

Or...

Gaji Lumayan! Peluang pekerjaan terbuka untuk rakyat Malaysia berumur 18 tahun keatas, MELAYU/BUMIPUTERA SHJ.

I take these kinds of advertisements a little too personal since they advertise it on major newspaper agencies (go check your NST, Star and Berita Harian) and sometimes hang these 'employment opportunities for CERTAIN RACIAL REQUIREMENTS' on their front doors.

Do other Malaysians feel this way too? As mentioned, I take it a little too personal because I am not Chinese, Indian nor a Malay and I feel as if my rights as a Malaysian-born citizen being taken away or if you like it, being treated like an outcast simply because I am not their 'wanted race' for employment.

Have you ever experienced this?

Travel Tips

It is unethical. It's reality. I have seen these ads too. Bumiputra only, chinese only. Preferably bumiputra, preferably chinese. It can be disheartening for those people who are more than qualified but couldnt get the job due the colour of skin. The reason why they did this is to save everybody's time. Theirs and the applicants. But by doing this, goes to show how racist malaysian can be. Whatever happen to equal opportunity?

My point of view on this matter is that, it isnt healthy to only employ one particular race. We will lose out on idea opportunities. One race behave the same, one race thinks the same. One race same ideas. Do u also know that certain companies have racial quota?

Being a bumiputra myself, i will never respond to ad that says 'bumiputras are encourage to apply'. It sounds like a death trap to me. It drives me crazy being in an all malay environment. (I have been in one once, it was a nightmare - and never again.. the gossips and the laid back attitude drove me up against the wall). Of course not all malay companies are like that but once bitten twice shy right? Besides, it will be a joke to get a job just to fill up a racial quota instead of merit and experience. Duhh!!

Others
there are many this type of employer in malaysia market. usually these are not big company. the reason there hire chinese or bumiputra only is due to:-
1) They really need some one who knows and read chinese
2) They customers/ market may be not convinent for others race, eg. halal bussiness or non halal bussiness
3) You dont sent a malay sales guy to sell chinese stuff (apply on certain products.

their just a small company, you can live without them
of course. if I want to rent out a room I post:

Female only. 18yrs, like ice cream, big bust, experience not required, CHINESE OR BUMIPUTERA SABAH/SARAWAK ONLY.
I know how u feel
Yeah, I found it a bit weird at first, but then again Malaysia is still a country where you can and are allowed to pre-select what segment of the population you wish to target and employ. In other countries advertising for new employees becomes such a burden because you are not allowed to state sex, religion, skin colour etc; sooner or later you will not even be allowed any more to put down your requirements like 'English a must' or 'must have driving license'! I have worked in the personnel department of a large hotel and the days when an ad was out were simply not fun. Internally we know exactly what we need and want, we just don鈥檛 have the right to say it publicly. Thus, by 8 am the phone starts ringing non-stop until 4 pm but 80% of all applicants have to be rejected right there and then, on the phone. The rest was given an appointment that took up another day.

Then there are practical reasons for this discrimination. If you produce halal food, can you employ a Chinese? If you run a Chinese daily newspaper, can you employ an ordinary Malay?

Yes, it is outright discrimination to state 鈥楥hinese only鈥?but if you don鈥檛 precise in your ad, the discrimination will be on the second and third level. And 鈥榤ust have SPM鈥?is also discrimination for that matter. Anybody without SPM is excluded!

So in the end I think that is maybe the one and true honest discrimination here in Malaysia. Try to apply for a late birth certificate of a native of Sabah, who was born in a virtually inaccessible area 20 years ago and whose parents have not bothered with papers (I have a case here!). Well, at the immigrations department, it does not say 鈥榝or Malays only鈥? but they might just as well put it up in bold letters and refer 鈥榦thers鈥?to go and fly kites. In Sabah in particular, they might also add under the 鈥楳alay only鈥?sign 鈥榓nd Filipinos welcome, too!鈥?THAT is dishonest discrimination, and we have to put up with it everyday. Pre-selecting your employees through an ad is honest discrimination (if there is such a thing鈥?, and belongs, in my opinion into the same category as 鈥榤ust have own transport鈥?etc.
Muhibbah unleashed! Actually Muslims aren't allowed to handle non-halal products but some people just don't care. In western countries (which are claimed by Malaysians to hold inferior moral values) an employer can face a law suit which he will most probably lose, if he rejects an applicant based on ethnic or religious background.

It's obvious that people prefer to employ their own kind, but to be honest sometimes it's better for the sake of business. It's risky to employ a Chinese to sell halal food at stall, for example, as Muslims will assume that the food is not halal and 60% of the market is gone...
But a Chinese together with a Muslim co-worker would solve the issue.

I still haven't figured out why are Malaysians so burdened about one's race. It seems that in Malaysia your ethnicity is one of the qualifying factors that will decide about your job, room or house that you want to rent...

Malaysia with Brunei remains the only country on Earth that still practices racial segregation.
Muhibbah