A MALAYSIAN of Indian descent was kicked out of his rented room in Subang Jaya, Selangor, less than two weeks after moving in, because his landlord suddenly said she would prefer Chinese tenants.
The renter, Diivek Suppiah, took to Facebook to share his anger and disappointment right after being forced to move out of his room at The Grand Subang SS13 on Aug 13.
The 24-year-old shared that he had rented the unit through the apartment's management office, and moved in on Aug 1.
"I work in Sunway, so I rented a master bedroom in a condo here and moved in," he told SAYS when contacted.
"I paid all the deposits and rental on time. I also moved all my things and had already arranged the room nicely."
In those few days, he said he kept the room clean and tidy, and that the landlord was aware that he was of Indian descent when he signed the tenancy agreement.
However, he suddenly received a string of messages from the management on Aug 13 saying that the landlord wanted him to leave.
Diivek wrote: "(All) of a sudden, I received a message forwarded from the owner, saying, 'Hi, morning, very sorry to inform you, after discussing with my family and partner, we only prefer Chinese tenants to stay in our unit'."
Diivek said he was in disbelief when the landlord further asked him to vacate the room on the same day, and that she would come and inspect the place the next morning.
"So, please clear the master room by today and I will go to my unit and visit you by tomorrow at about 11am to try to settle all our problems. Many thanks," read the text message he received from the management.
Diivek said that he was very angry and disappointed to be evicted with no prior warning and just based on the colour of his skin.
"We are living in Malaysia in 2020, and yet this mentality still exists?! All races deserve to be treated with equality and respect. I am proud to be a Malaysian Indian," he wrote impassionedly in his Facebook post.
He added that the landlord could have mentioned earlier that she preferred Chinese tenants so that he would not have wasted his time by booking and renting the place.
"This clearly shows that [she is] a very racist person," he said.
Diivek told SAYS that the discrimination was no mistake, as the management office tried their best to reckon with the landlord to allow him to stay. However, the owner insisted that she wanted Chinese tenants only.
"Why must Indians be treated this way? Why can't Indians rent a room owned by a Chinese landlord? Why didn't I at least get a proper one-month notice to move out?" he questioned.
"People need to be aware that this is still happening in Malaysia," he added.
He said that he moved to another apartment unit that the management office was able to find in the same building.
"I just moved all my things to my new unit and room. Thanks to my friends who helped me to move my things. It was super stressful and tiring. I need to unpack all again and arrange it," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Diivek also said that he will take legal action over the matter – but in due course, as he has been emotionally drained by the affair.
"Just let me settle down in my new place. I'm going to arrange everything again now."
After sharing his experience on Facebook, Diivek received an outpouring of support and sympathy from netizens.
His post has garnered over 10,000 reactions, been shared 5,800 times and received over 4,200 comments from Malaysians expressing their disgust for his racist landlord.
"Disgusting. Sincerest apologies, bro, for this poor excuse of a human being," said a netizen.
Another Facebook user agreed, saying: "That was outrageous. Yes, we know it's their right to prefer Chinese tenants [but they should state that] before putting up their ads, not after accepting a tenant request! This is so unacceptable."
They said the landlord should have some compassion and compensate Diivek for his losses.
Another supported Diivek's decision to take legal action, saying, "The authorities should take notice of suc
h racist attitude and discrimination. I suggest you bring this matter to the civil court for remedy and to educate such people." – Says
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