Aku Keling

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Keling (pronounced /kling/) is a word used to describe Indians or Hindus in Malaysia^[1] and Singapore (more specifically, Malaysian Indians and Singaporean Indians. It is now generally considered offensive by Indians, although it may often be used by other communities in Malaysia without any derogatory intention.

The origin of the term is rooted in the former cultural and economic influence of the Kalinga kingdom over south east Asian kingdoms. India was then referred to by the Malays as benua keling. Sejarah Melayu (the Annals of Malay history), written in the 15th century, used the term keling to refer to India and traced the origin of Malay sultans to Indian princes. In its early usage, the term was not considered offensive or derogatory.

Since the late 20th century, the term keling has been regarded as offensive by many Indians. Economic hardship and a high crime rate in the Indian community in Malaysia has led to the term being used in a derogatory manner.

Malay

The word keling is often used informally within the Malay community to mean "Indian", but in multi-racial settings the term has become politically incorrect. Keling was recently used by Members of Parliament in Malaysia, resulting in uproar by the Malaysian community accusing the MPs of racism.^[2] Popular usage in Malaysia also suggests a tone of general disrespect to Indian Malaysians. This derogatory term is uttered in the same way African Americans are called niggers and Indigenous Australians are called abos.

The phrase janji keling (janji being "promise" in Malay) is sometimes used by people of Malay-speaking communities (regardless of race) to refer to a liar, someone who gives conflicting statements, or, more commonly, someone who changes their minds and decisions often. Considered offensive, this term is comparable to the North American English expression Indian giver (although referring to different types of "Indians") or the English expression "to welsh", meaning to fail to honour a bet.

Chinese

The phrases keling-a (Hokkien; 吉寧仔; POJ: kiet-lêng-á), keling kwai (Cantonese; 吉寧鬼; Yale: git-lìhng-gwái), and keling-kia (Teochew) are frequently used within the Chinese community in Malaysia and Singapore. These may be used in either a derogatory or non-derogatory manner: e.g., in Penang Hokkien, which is spoken by some Indians in Penang, keling-a is the only word that exists to refer to ethnic Indians.

The Hokkien and Teochew suffixes -a and -kia are diminutives that are generally used to refer to non-Chinese ethnic groups. The Cantonese term kwai, meaning "ghost" or "devil", is similarly used when referring to any non-Chinese ethnic group.