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The other battle of COVID-19: The rise of discriminatory attitudes
The societal consequences of COVID-19 are immense. While the necessity of a security approach to the pandemic is still very much debatable, the pandemic has, unfortunately, ramified into other serious security problems.
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A healthcare professional waits at a pop-up clinic testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Bondi Beach, after several cases were recorded in the area, in Sydney, Australia on April 1. (Reuters/Loren Elliott)
W
hile the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, another serious battle is also taking place: increasing discriminative acts against “Asian-looking” people. In Australia, several videos have gone viral showing such a trend. In late March, two women were racially abused on a street in Marrickville, Sydney, by a woman who attempted to kick them and spat at them after expressing horrible racist words. There is another video of a woman ranting against two young Asian commuters wearing masks on a train in Melbourne, telling them harshly to “go back to your home country.” In early April, a bus driver in Melbourne reported to the media how a female passenger suddenly called him "Corona" for his Asian appearance, insinuating he was responsible for spreading the virus in the country.
These are just a few examples of the alarming trend that is now unfortunately happening in different parts of the world since the pandemic outbreak started in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The way certain governments, intentionally or not, described the virus as the “Wuhan virus” or “Chinese virus” has contributed to the already xenophobic society. Thanks to the WHO, the formal use of COVID-19 to refer to the virus has helped a little but is certainly not the final solution to the problem.
Societal consequences of COVID-19
As an international student myself, I am certainly alarmed about this development. In Australia, it was Asians who first started to wear masks before it was customary for Australians, most likely learning from the example set by people in the earlier-affected countries, such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. The face masks made them easy targets for such racial acts.
To a certain extent, a statement from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on April 3 to “make your way home” directed to visitors, including international students who are deemed unable to sustain themselves financially in the crisis, could be interpreted by some as implicitly showing a kind of "racial" sentiment, although it might not be intended so. The statement did have a kind of “nationalistic” sentiment, with the message that the country needs to focus on providing the necessary resources for “its own citizens and residents.”
Since the announcement, international students, mostly through their chat groups, have raised their concerns and sought clarification as to what the statement meant. In such an uncertain situation, when international students are away from their family and loved ones and face an uncertain future with their study, confusion can only add to their stress.
What I want to underline here is how the pandemic has had a much greater impact than the number of fatalities.
The societal consequences of COVID-19 are immense. While the necessity of a security approach to the pandemic is still very much debatable, the pandemic has, unfortunately, ramified into other serious security problems.
As limited mobility due to the strict lockdown policy starts to frustrate people, in addition to the threat of job losses and economic recession, those who perceive themselves as “natives” have started to find scapegoats for the unfortunate situation. Racial discrimination will certainly complicate the way governments should respond to the pandemic, which requires a focus not only on health management issues, which are already challenging.
Observing Australia
Being a student in Australia, my current surrounding is naturally what I observe the most. Despite the fact that racial discrimination has always been a major problem in Australia, both federal and state governments have implemented strict measures against any discriminative acts in society. In this way, the authorities have responded well.
Such response is enabled by prevailing regulations, most notably the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975. The Act was the first regulation to be issued regarding discrimination.
As widely reported in the news, the police firmly respond to reports of racist acts they receive. Nonetheless, it is important to ensure that they are consistently doing this and have the media to report this in order to deter like-minded racists to commit unlawful acts in the future. The police are notably present in public areas, originally to maintain physical distancing, but also helpful in preventing discriminative acts, especially those that involve violence. This is crucial for international students, as they have to rely on public transportation to get their daily essentials.
The media once again has a very important role in launching a campaign against racial acts amid this already difficult situation. A simple message that “it is not okay to be racist” goes a long way. As the country calls on all skilful people to serve as health workers and volunteers regardless of their race and skin color, such an important message must be conveyed.
Observing Indonesia
Indonesia is one of the countries most heavily affected by COVID-19 in the region, with more than 2,700 confirmed cases (as of April 7). The central and local governments are struggling very much to provide healthcare services to those who are affected. Having observed the Australian experience, I have a little note for Indonesia, my home country.
So far, there has not been much news about discriminative acts in Indonesia. However, that does not mean it will not happen. It is an undeniable fact that racial discrimination, especially against the ethnic-Chinese, is still a major issue in the country. Reports about an ethnic-Chinese shop owner refusing to increase the price of products she sells and instead encouraging customers not to engage in "panic-buying" might help a little to counter prejudice against the ethnic group.
A lot needs to be done in response to the pandemic. Precautionary measures must be prepared by the government in dealing with possible racial tension. The government is indeed responsible for ensuring public safety, but society can, and should, help by spreading a spirit of togetherness, which is the real modality to come out from this crisis.
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Senior researcher (on leave), Department of International Relations, CSIS Indonesia; Ph.D. Candidate, School of Political Science and International Studies, University of Queensland, Australia. The original article was published in CSIS commentaries.
