An African-American tourist has alleged racism in Malaysia, claiming she and her friends were treated differently at several locations during their trip.
AN African-American tourist has sparked an online debate after claiming Malaysia was one of the “most racist” countries she had visited.
In a TikTok video, the content creator said she and her friends decided to visit Malaysia after seeing numerous recommendations describing the Southeast Asian country as one of the best places to travel and live.
However, she claimed their experience was markedly different, alleging that they encountered several instances of racial discrimination during their trip.
She said the first incident allegedly happened at an airport, where she claimed she had to collect her own salad despite seeing waitstaff serving food to other customers.
The tourist said she initially brushed off the incident before encountering another alleged incident while taking an e-hailing ride.
She claimed the driver ignored her when he arrived at the pick-up point but responded differently when her Chinese friend waved at him.
“I’m waving at him – he looks at me, dead in my eye, looks forward and I’m waving at him, looks forward and ignores me!
“My friend, who’s Chinese, waves at him. He looks, he smiles and he waves back. He gets out of the car and helps her with her bags. Does this man know that I’m the one paying him? Doesn’t bother to help me with my bags, by the way, until my friend grabs them and hands them to him,” she said.
While in Kuala Lumpur, she alleged that she experienced another incident at a shoe store, claiming that a sales assistant appeared unwilling to assist her and her friends.
“We’re trying on shoes, she’s giving an attitude to my friend, she’s giving an attitude to us. We’re trying to buy shoes from you. We’re in this store trying to help you earn a commission and you’re out here treating us like criminals,” she said.
The content creator claimed the experience was not limited to one shop, alleging that she encountered similar behaviour at “almost all of the stores” they visited.
“People looked at us with such disgust. Y’all are almost as brown as me! Make it make sense,” she added.
She also stressed that she and her friends had not been “loud” or “rude” during their trip and said they had shown the “utmost respect” for Malaysian culture.
Despite her alleged experiences, the travel vlogger praised Malaysian cuisine, describing it as some of the best food she had eaten in Asia.
“Does it make up for the racism? No! But the food was (great),” she said.
The video subsequently drew widespread attention online, prompting the content creator to post an update responding to those who questioned her account and blamed her and her friends for the alleged treatment.
She said some netizens questioned her attitude and even made comments about her hairstyle.
“How do you know what my attitude was? How do you know what my attitude is anywhere I travel? Let me tell you. I’m actually very calm and very reserved when I travel. I do respect the cultures of the places I go. I do dress appropriately and, in general, I am actually a pretty reserved person when I’m out and about,” she said in the update.
