UNIVERSITI Teknologi MARA (UiTM) again found itself in trouble after a group of its students dressed in racist Ku Klux Klan (KKK) white hoods and robes carried Christian crosses around campus recently, supposedly as part of a class assignment.
But instead of immediately condemning the students’ insulting stunt, the university’s management had the gall to double down and defend them.
UiTM insists that these racist displays weren’t religiously offensive even though those very students proudly posted a self-glorifying social media photo shoot of their group on campus after class at night with videos revealing fellow UiTM students looking on appearing to be amused.
The said students also raised and displayed images of Christian crosses from the top floors of UiTM buildings on the holy Palm Sunday no less. This, of course, is incredibly offensive.
Many Malaysians online swiftly denounced and condemned the white-hooded UiTM students.
But these same students also allegedly threatened other Malaysians who had bravely blown the whistle on them on Instagram.
Worse still other courageous student whistleblowers were detained by UiTM on campus, and not allowed to leave, likely in order to ‘cover up’ the mushrooming scandal.
According to UiTM’s defensive statement of non-apology, the students’ bigoted KKK costumes were part of a legal studies assignment intended to foster “understanding” of racial discrimination.
Unmasking UiTM
Ah yes, because nothing says “understanding racism” quite like glorifying the most violent white supremacist group in modern history known for terrorising and murdering minority races. Somewhere, a Klan member is eagerly nodding in approval, shrieking “Bravo!”
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) tampil memberi penjelasan berhubung video yang memaparkan sekumpulan pelajar memakai pakaian seperti Ku Klux Klan (KKK) seperti yang tular di media sosial baru-baru ini.
Berita penuh: https://t.co/NIMu4qVraK pic.twitter.com/DXzwEm41lZ
— TV PERTIWI (@TvPertiwi) April 15, 2025
But this was no minor mistake. It’s a reflection of a larger, deeper problem in Malaysia – one that goes far beyond tasteless costumes.
As other Malaysians have correctly observed, UiTM has long been the country’s national shame, and the symbol of “Malaysian -style racialism ” – ie an institution of structural racial discrimination that is proudly, officially closed off to all non-Malay students.
Yet it is Malaysia’s largest public university – funded by all taxpayers – but openly blocks Malaysians of other races from admission. This is not “affirmative action.” This is ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) at best – a prime example of systemic racial segregation.
The university’s KKK incident is not just a scandal – it’s a symptom. It shows us what happens when a generation is raised within a system that normalises racial supremacy.
When ketuanan Melayu is passed down in a university as status quo, is it really surprising that that’s university’s students feel comfortable cosplaying other racial supremacists?
The fact that UiTM didn’t immediately condemn their students’ KKK stunt – and still hasn’t – tells us everything we need to know. They’re not sorry it happened. They’re sorry we noticed.
And what has this ‘Malaysian-style racialism’ produced? A university that consistently ranks near the bottom – not only among Malaysian universities – but also among all universities in Asia and worldwide.
One of Malaysia’s worst varsities
Among the major Malaysian public and private universities, every year UiTM consistently ranks toward the bottom.
In this year’s global Times High Education University Rankings, UiTM is ranked only in the 1501+ band, indicating that it did not even meet the criteria for a specific rank.
Similarly, in the premier US News “global university” rankings, UiTM struggles to break into the top 1000.
Even in the “easier” QS University Rankings, UiTM ranks only 587 out of 1,503 universities – and that is even a drop of 32 spots from the previous year. Worse, in the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), UiTM is not even listed.
Is it any wonder? When a university prioritises racial supremacy over merit, then academic quality suffers.
Talent is usually sidelined, critical thinking is stifled, and mediocrity becomes institutionalised. As a result, companies and other institutions will also feel reluctant to hire UiTM graduates.
Let’s be honest: racialism in Malaysia still hasn’t ended. It was simply re-branded by institutions like UiTM.
Racialism lives on in race-based university quotas, biased bank loans, government job preferences, property discounts and political messaging that treats non-Malays as second-class citizens. UiTM isn’t an outlier. It’s the original template.
And so, when students brazenly march around in white KKK robes on campus, they’re not being rebellious.
They’re just the logical products of a system that teaches them that only one race deserves special treatment. A system that celebrates racial supremacy while pretending to value cheap slogans like “1Malaysia”, “Keluarga Malaysia”, “Malaysia Madani” and even “Malaysian Hospitality”.
The UiTM KKK scandal wasn’t an isolated mistake. It was a dark mirror held up directly to the nation’s face.
You can certainly criticise the KKK costumes. But until you confront the entire Malaysian discriminatory system that makes it acceptable, then you’re just sweeping the truth underneath a white hood. – May 1, 2025
Corruption Watch is a reader of Focus Malaysia.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
