The bank officer who used an insensitive term during a recent seminar attended by Indian Malaysian traders has apologised for his action.

In a letter to the Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba), the officer from a government-linked bank expressed regret over the incident , which he described as unintentional.

p sivakumar Following this, Miba president P Sivakumar said the association has decided to accept the apology and not pursue the matter further.

He added that the officer has also requested Miba to maintain a cordial working relationship with him to ensure that the bank could provide financial assistance to the Indian Malaysian business community.

"After going through his letter, Miba has decided to put a full stop to this issue as it was never our intention to blow the matter up.

"We wanted to resolve it in an amicable manner but wanted this incident to serve as a deterrent to others not to use offending words that hurt the feelings of anyone while discharging their duties," Sivakumar told Malaysiakini today.

Mindset change neeeded

The Miba president said the officer is not to be solely blamed as the Malaysian system is such.

"In order for every citizen to gain his or her rightful place in Malaysian society there must be a complete change in the Malaysian mindset.

"Only then can there possibly exists the true spirit of partnership and mutual respect for each other," he added.

Malaysia, Sivakumar stressed, needs to boldly remove certain barriers that have been a stumbling block in getting across benefits and opportunities to the poor of all races.

On Monday, Malaysiakini reported that Miba had demanded an apology from the bank officer for uttering the insensitive remark during a seminar in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend.

Some 70 Indian Malaysian traders were present at the seminar jointly held with the government-linked bank to seek assistance in form of loans for its members.

Sivakumar had said that participants were riled up when the high-ranking officer repeated the words 'orang asing' (foreigners) twice.

According to him, the officer in a "direct reference to the Indian Malaysian community" told the audience that 'orang asing' could now apply for jobs in particular banks.