“THEY aren’t allowed to do business. They aren’t allowed to seek legitimate employment. They aren’t allowed to beg for alms. They aren’t allowed to build schools or houses.”
Such was the long list of don’ts that pertain to Rohingya refugees in Malaysia.
Urging some empathy and sympathy, social media influencer and entrepreneur LadyZ Zainuddin (real name Nuzha Zainuddin) was aghast at some Malaysians who seem hell-bent on viralling contents that further make life difficult for the refugee community.
The travel vlogger contended that when all avenues are closed to the Rohingyas in Malaysia, they have no choice but to resort to robbery or becoming street beggars. This is why many Malaysians have a negative perception of them.
“They have come here seeking protection,” she declared.
“They are human, too, and we need to understand their situation. Not all of them are bad hats. Many of them are good-hearted and well-behaved,” she added.
Asking Malaysians to stop feeling entitled as the country did not belong to them but the Almighty, she made the pertinent point that it was the good fortune of Malaysians to be born here.
“Stop being racists! Stop displaying our hatred. It’s shameful,” concluded the much-travelled content creator.
Respect goes both ways
The post on Facebook has generated 11K likes, 10.6K comments and 1.7K shares and a tonne of comments (before it was disabled) denoting that this is issue is currently the trending topic among Malaysians.
However, not everyone was enamoured by this humanitarian’s pleas, underlining that this issue is deeply divisive.
There were many who took the opposite perspective as exemplified by a comment outlining the drawbacks of continuing to host the Rohingyas in Malaysia.
Editor’s Note: In fact, LadyZ Zainuddin’s post mirrors that of Rohingya activist Noor Azizah who is once again in the spotlight for the wrong reason after having shared her life experiences as a refugee while receiving the Marie Claire Women of the Year 2025 award in Australia.
As one netizen put it, Malaysians are known for being helpful, especially towards those in need, henceforth, “if many Malaysians have become frustrated with the Rohingyas, it didn’t happen just like that”.
“We’re generally compassionate and rarely prejudge others. People don’t just change their attitude overnight without a reason,” he reasoned in a post by Malay language news portal The Reporter.
“If a population known for its kindness starts losing patience, then maybe it’s time to reflect on what led to that situation instead of constantly playing the victim and blaming everyone else,” he said.
“Respect goes both ways. If you expect respect and acceptance, you also have a responsibility to show respect to the country and people who have helped you.”
Making Malaysia breeding ground
Back to LadyZ Zainuddin’s post, a commenter who claimed to have worked in a maternity ward frequented by many Rohingyas was of the opinion that “90% of them were not good people.” It was her observation that:
- They like to borrow even though they had money.
- Rude behaviour that is not reflective of their status as refugees.
- They were not known for their cleanliness.
Furthermore, they would breed incessantly and then refuse to pay the medical fees. “They should be exterminated” was the chilling conclusion from this commenter who revealed that once upon a time, she too had similar views as LadyZ Zainuddin.
Another commenter who worked in a private maternity centre claimed that the Rohingya would wait till the very last moment before seeking admission.
This allowed them to be rushed into the labour room without placing a deposit. This was backed up by another commenter who claimed there were those who delivered and then ran off without paying, even leaving the newborn behind.
Some non-plussed commenters invited the well-meaning poster to move into an area that is heavily populated by Rohingyas before making such conclusions.
The clear insinuation is that the online content would have a very different flavour if she were neighbours with the Rohingyas.
‘They’re rejected the world over’
It was thus argued that Malaysia cannot allow the Rohingya community to become too comfortable while taxing local amenities such as healthcare by leveraging their refugee status.
“Ultimately, Malaysians are the ones footing the bill,” argued this pragmatic observer.
This perspective to not allow the refugees from getting too comfortable got plenty of support as like-minded citizens who believed that this will only encourage more to come seeking greener pastures.
Some irate observers asked why is it that so many nations have rejected or are very wary of accepting Rohingya refugees. Again, the sentiment was negative as Malaysian taxpayers are the ones who have to foot the bill.
Despite the many pleas from NGOs and kind-hearted individuals such as LadyZ Zainuddin for Malaysians to stop spreading anti-Rohingya sentiment, the tide is overwhelmingly against the continued presence of the Rohingyas in the country as demonstrated by the comments above.
The Rohingya refugee issue has become a political hot potato. How you view it depends on whether your sentiments are based on humanitarian grounds or plain old pragmatic ones such as the social and economic cost of continuing to host the Rohingya. – June 17, 2026
Main image: Getty Images
