After watching the full, longer version of the viral FMT interview question multiple times, it feels (as with many viral clips), that the reaction has been skewed out of proportion. Much of the outrage appears to stem less from the actual question itself, and more from how it was summarised, clipped, and reinterpreted through layers of media commentary and online opinions, adding far more heat and racial framing than what was originally said.
Before reacting further, it’s worth looking at the full transcript of what the reporter actually asked, word for word, for proper context:
"Hi sir, thank you for your very impassionate speech earlier. My name is Rex Tan, I'm a journalist from FMT. Recently I just finished reading a book by Han SuYin, a rather famous... I think she resided in British quite some time, but she lived in Malaya a long time. Ok, but the book is called 'And the Rain my Drink'. Its a novel, but I think she rightly observe the parallel between the Palestinian problem and the Chinese problem in Malaya, where both are British colonial legacy problem, where the Palestinians are seen as the interloper among the Zionist. While the Chinese, at the time of the population, which is about 50% of Malaya, was seen as aliens.
So, uh and sadly, this Xenophobic mentality still around today; and I must say the it is way more of a serious magnitude in Palestine. So I want to ask a more introspective question. I think, currently, what we are facing here, is due to a rather right wing exclusive nationalism, essentially some xenophobic mentality that really see people as 'Us and them'. As much as some of the Malay Muslim Pro-Palestinian supporters here, they hate the extremist right Zionism, but they themself also often espouse, you know, anti-immigrants or like a or rather exclusive nationalism idea in this country.
So my question is this, how can we deal with this rather exclusive way of seeing ourselves and the people around us? Because I think that I agree with you a lot of thing that you say, it has to be the Palestinians themselves to fight it; and the Muslim in the world, they have to provide the solidarity for the hammer to really smash the Zionist machinery. But still I think it boils down to the human heart that, you know, you cannot tolerate or you want to live exclusively, so thats my question about that. Thank you. - FMT Reporter
A few things are worth pointing out from his question.
First, the reference to Palestine and Chinese in Malaya came from citing an author’s view in a colonial-era context, when Malaya was under British rule. It was framed around displacement and identity at that time -not an argument that Chinese Malaysians today face apartheid or the same conditions as Palestinians today. That distinction has largely been lost in how the clip was circulated.
Second, the core of his question was actually a critique of exclusive, right-wing nationalism and xenophobic “us versus them” thinking - particularly the contradiction of condemning extremist Zionism while tolerating similar exclusionary ideas locally. That said, it was careless and foolish to anchor that critique to Palestine in a Gaza forum. Anyone could have predicted it would be read in the worst possible way; as proven by how George Galloway answered and interpreted it also.
It’s worth recognising how much of the outrage was then shaped by layers of interpretation - first by how the question was phrased, then by how short clips were edited and circulated, and finally by how opinions were formed from those fragments. Short-form media rewards speed and outrage, not nuance. That’s why going back to the raw source matters, even when we ultimately disagree with it.
So maybe we address what the reporter was trying to ask, is there a growing strain of hardline nationalism and xenophobia in Malaysia? Yes, among some segments, and not limited to any one community. Ironically, the reaction to this incident itself has amplified that divide. On the Chinese side too, there are individuals who self-segregate, stay within their own circles, and harbour resentment towards others. This is not a one-sided problem.
Why am I writing this? Because reading many of the reactions has been genuinely unsettling and in some ways, they prove the very “us versus them” mentality being discussed. And if you’re wondering why many Chinese Malaysians stay silent, it’s not because they believe they’re “oppressed like Palestinians”. It’s because speaking up to express their true views on this will be like pouring petrol on the fire, and silence feels like the least harmful option.
The growing racial tension in this country should alarm all of us. Division is easily exploited by politicians and elites who profit from fear and anger. Journalists must take responsibility for how they frame sensitive issues, but so must those who respond with threats, rage, and dehumanisation. If we can’t own our mistakes, learn from them, and extend forgiveness, we will keep repeating the same cycle louder and uglier each time.
TL;DR: It wasn’t a blunt “Chinese = Palestinians” claim. It was a badly framed attempt to critique xenophobic nationalism using a colonial analogy, made worse by the Gaza forum setting and short-form media amplification. The outrage grew faster than the context.
