National hockey player Hanis Onn has been suspended from representing the country following
her racist remark about Malaysian Indians on Instagram.
Last month, famed Indian composer A.R. Rahman performed in Malaysia at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. The majority of the attendees were Indians, which prompted many racist comments online.
A screenshot that was uploaded to the Malaysia subreddit, r/Malaysia, displayed a number of comments made on Instagram by users who seemed unbothered by the Oscar-winning composer’s performance.
Then Hanis Onn herself made the decision to participate in the discussion, writing what appeared to be a subtly offensive statement about Malaysian Indians.
“The smell must have been nice in there (the stadium),” she wrote. The 26-year-old was implying that Indians smelled bad, a common racial stereotype.
The suspension was announced by the Youth and Sports Ministry yesterday, which also included not having her on the national team for the Phnom Penh Sea Games in May.
The ministry, in a statement, said that the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) would review Hanis’ suspension if she shows a positive change in behaviour.
“The National Sports Council and MHC had a meeting (Feb 7) and found that Hanis’ statement on her social media had violated the MHC etiquette code and spoiled the image of MHC and the national team.
“She was found guilty of insulting, condemning or cursing (mencaci) another party which could cause a misunderstanding, annoyance or anger of another party.
“She has been suspended from all international tournaments starting with the Cambodia Sea Games, and MHC and NSC will reevaluate her progress from time to time.”
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