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June 12, 2026

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‘Ridiculous mindset’: Why some fatal road accidents in Malaysia spark racial undertones

The racialisation of road accidents can deepen divisions in a society that is already sensitive to issues of race and religion, experts say.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Browsing through social media comments on road traffic accidents in Malaysia, content creator Vikneswaran Veerasundar notices a “frustrating” trend.

If the perpetrator was found to be drink driving, some netizens would jump to conclusions about the individual’s race, even if authorities had not identified the person.

Then come the comments about how drink driving seems to be prevalent in a particular race, and calls for harsher punishment. If the victim dies and is from a majority race, the backlash is often amplified.

“It’s always the same narrative and the same stereotypes being repeated over and over again,” Vikneswaran, 33, told CNA.

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Deciding to satirise the phenomenon, Vikneswaran made a video that he posted on Instagram on Apr 6.

In the video, Vikneswaran is shown watching the news at home. When a report of a fatal road accident comes up, he wishes to himself for the perpetrator to not “be an Indian”. When the news presenter confirms that the accused is Indian, he then hopes the man was not drunk.

When it is revealed that the accused was driving under the influence of alcohol, Vikneswaran’s last hope is for the victim who died to be Indian too, so “no one will care”. The presenter then identifies the deceased as a Malay, and the triple whammy causes Vikneswaran to throw his hands up in the air in the video.

Vikneswaran Veerasundar posted a video satirising the racialisation of road accidents after getting frustrated with the comments he read. (Screengrab: Instagram/vikarworld)

“I got sick and tired of reading the comments on road accident videos,” Vikneswaran told CNA. “So, I thought I might as well use my platform to send a message and highlight how ridiculous that mindset is.”

His video attracted more than 2.6 million views, 150,000 likes and 4,000 comments. Some commented they experienced the same as Chinese too, while others added this applied to Malays in cases involving drugs or sex crimes.

“I think the surprising part was realising every race feels the same way,” said Vikneswaran. “All this while I thought only Indian people felt that way. I never knew the Malays and Chinese go through the same thing.”

Experts told CNA the racialisation of high-profile traffic accidents – including one that occurred last Sunday (Jun 7) in Sungai Petani in Kedah – exists in Malaysia because race remains a powerful lens through which many people in the country interpret public events.

But the phenomenon poses risks because of its potential to inflame communal tensions, reinforce prejudices, and undermine confidence in the justice system, they said.

To confront the problem, various parties including schools, enforcement agencies and social media platforms play a role in educating the public, carrying out the law consistently and curbing the spread of false information and racial hatred, they said.

RACIALISATION RISKS

Race-based politics as well as social media trends are factors behind the racialisation of traffic accidents in Malaysia, observers said.

“Decades of race-based politics have conditioned people to view incidents not simply as individual acts but as matters involving entire communities,” said Siti Kasim, a human rights lawyer and activist.

In the Sungai Petani accident on Jun 7, a crash involving a lorry and sport utility vehicle (SUV) that killed six family members travelling in the latter led to even Kedah police chief Adzli Abu Shah receiving WhatsApp messages containing falsehoods.

“Some people told me that the lorry driver was drunk and also brought up the driver’s race,” said Adzli, as reported by local news agency Bernama.

Such messages circulated despite a dashcam video showing the SUV veering into oncoming traffic on a single-lane, two-way road before crashing into the lorry.

Adzli criticised “irresponsible speculation” and said: “Here, I would like to inform that the victims are Malay and the lorry driver is also a Malay, so such actions are highly irresponsible.”

Two earlier fatal accidents also sparked conversations about race.

On Mar 29, a horrific crash in Klang, Selangor left a motorcyclist dead after he collided head-on with an allegedly speeding car that overtook several vehicles and crossed into the opposite lane.

The rider, Amirul Hafiz Omar, was flung onto another car and died at the scene. The car driver, Saktygaanapathy Ravichandran, tested positive for alcohol and drugs. He was charged with murder on Apr 2.

The circumstances of the accident quickly touched Malaysia’s ethnic fault lines, with some netizens questioning why it was “always the same group of people” drink driving. Others pushed back on the need to bring up race.

On Jun 5, a 19‑year‑old man was arrested after a five‑vehicle crash in Kluang, Johor killed five people, including a family of four.

Videos of the accident showed the man and his 22-year-old brother purportedly racing each other in a Mercedes and BMW before the elder brother’s BMW lost control, collided with several cars and plunged into a ravine.

The elder brother died along with the family of four, with the tragedy taking a racial turn online.

Some netizens framed the crash as a Chinese versus Malay issue amid calls for harsher penalties.

Experts said some members of the public try to interpret cause and assign blame to parties stereotyped as being more susceptible to certain activities such as drink driving.

They try to associate certain crimes with members of a certain race or religion, said Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid, a criminologist from Universiti Malaya.

“They just feel that if you are from my faith and my race, the possibility of doing such things is slim,” she said, calling it an “unfair” generalisation as anyone is capable of such crimes regardless of their race or faith.

Racialising accidents can be “extremely damaging”, Siti said.

It can shift the focus away from victims, facts and the need for accountability by blaming entire communities for the actions of individuals, she said.

“This creates suspicion, resentment, and hostility between different groups. It reinforces prejudices and deepens divisions in a society that is already sensitive to issues of race and religion,” said Siti.

P Ramasamy, chairman of minority rights party Urimai, said the tendency to racialise such incidents reflects a “zero-sum mindset”, where the suffering of one group and the actions of another are framed as communal issues.

“Yet accidents should be assessed on the basis of facts, evidence, and the rule of law, not through the prism of race,” he said.

Social media also amplifies attempts to racialise, observers said.

“Before facts are established, people often circulate rumours, screenshots, and unverified claims. The race of those involved is sometimes highlighted to provoke outrage, attract attention, or push a political narrative,” Siti said.

James Chin, Asian studies professor at the University of Tasmania, said it is “like a drug” for some netizens in a culture that can get preoccupied with racial politics.

Beyond road accidents, he highlighted that netizens could exploit any incident that has the potential to stoke emotionally-charged sentiments, including other crimes or issues of poverty.

“The individuals who start this thing (about race) – most of them want to start a fire, because social media is designed in such a way that if you create something controversial, you get more ‘likes’,” Chin said.

“Once you find out that you can light a fire, it’s very difficult for you to give it up.”

While Chin feels Malaysians are generally used to certain groups trying to play up racial sentiments, he said racialising accidents can get dangerous if the victim and perpetrator are from a majority and minority race respectively.

“This can spark riots,” he argued.

Haezreena, the criminologist, pointed to the May 13, 1969 racial riots in Malaysia – sparked by political and ethnic tensions between the Malay and Chinese communities – as evidence that racial frictions can escalate into something more serious if enough people fan the flames.

“(Racialisation) is harmful because, if you see those who make these comments, they have others who support them and are sort of validating their own ideas. They tend to get support from others, and it can grow,” she said.

Siti suggested racialisation could also stem from a lack of trust in institutions among some people.

If people do not trust that investigations will be fair and transparent, some may “look for alternative explanations and often fall back on racial stereotypes or assumptions”, she said.

For instance, even the murder charge levelled on the accused in the Klang accident was debated online, with some asking why he was given the harshest charge despite other perpetrators in seemingly similar accidents getting traffic charges.

Viewing crime through a racial lens risks undermining confidence in the justice system, Siti said. “If public opinion starts judging people based on ethnicity rather than evidence, it becomes harder to maintain the principle that everyone is equal before the law.”

START YOUNG, APPLY THE LAW CONSISTENTLY: OBSERVERS

Experts believe education about racial discourse must start in school, while government agencies and enforcement agencies should act consistently and respond swiftly with verified facts instead of letting falsehoods fester.

Civic and legal education in schools and universities should be strengthened, with public campaigns explaining basic legal principles in accessible language, Siti said.

Haezreena believes the government has to “work harder” in trying to integrate different groups in society, citing how there are some segments who grow up very insulated from other races.

“This education should start in schools upwards, and even the teachers have to be taught, because some of them have their own preferences or sentiments,” she said.

As for the authorities, Siti said the police should provide timely, accurate, and transparent information “so that rumours do not fill the vacuum”.

Siti also called on politicians to avoid exploiting tragedies for racial gain, and on media outlets to focus on facts rather than sensationalising ethnicity. The public should also resist sharing unverified information.

“Leaders must be prepared to call out racism, misinformation and collective blame wherever they arise. If those in positions of influence fail to do so, they effectively create space for extremists and provocateurs to shape public discourse,” she said.

Siti herself has spoken up against netizens who framed the Jun 5 Kluang crash as a Chinese versus Malay issue. “A reckless driver kills a family – that is a crime, not a Chinese conspiracy, not a Malay tragedy, not your excuse to stir hatred,” she wrote on X.

Malaysian authorities have used Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act to investigate and prosecute online comments that are obscene, indecent, false, menacing or grossly offensive in character.

Those convicted face imprisonment of up to two years, fines of up to RM500,000 (US$123,200), or both.

In November 2025, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said it had investigated more than 1,400 complaints under Section 233 between January 2020 and end-October 2025.

Of these, 61 cases were prosecuted in court, while 40 cases were compounded, totalling RM727,500. Another 167 cases were issued warning notices.

The remaining 1,149 cases comprise those still under investigation, as well as cases in which no further action was taken, the commission said then in a written reply to parliament.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission building in Cyberjaya. (Photo: Facebook/Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia)

While Section 233 could be one of the legal provisions used to enforce against road accident comments that try to inflame racial tensions, Siti said, the issue is whether it is enforced consistently and impartially.

“The law should apply equally regardless of race, political affiliation, social status, or the platform used,” she reiterated.

“Laws alone do not solve the problem. Public education, responsible leadership, and swift action against those who intentionally exploit tragedies to spread racial hatred are equally important.”

Vikneswaran, the content creator, hopes the police will take “firm action” against those who use road accidents to spread racial hatred and work closely with social media platforms to address the issue.

“Everyone has a role to play, from parents at home to schools, community leaders, and the government,” he said.

“Racism is taught; no one is born racist.”

Source: CNA/hz

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