Mahathir's Battle For A Malay KL

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad's recent comments about the prevalence of Chinese-language signboards in Kuala Lumpur have reignited a damaging debate on race and national identity in Malaysia. Mahathir’s assertion that Chinese characters dominate the city's signboards at the expense of the national language is not only misleading but highlights his ongoing tendency to incite racial discord for political gain.

Thankfully, his remarks have been sharply criticized by our political figures, who sensibly advised Malaysians to ignore Mahathir’s provocative rhetoric. Mahathir, after all, thrives on relevance.

Honestly, this incident is far from isolated, instead fitting into a longstanding pattern of Mahathir's divisive language aimed at deepening racial divides in the country. His legacy, shaped by decades of leadership, remains inextricably linked to issues of racial inequality and the manipulation of ethnic narratives to consolidate his political power.

During his first tenure as prime minister (1981-2003), Mahathir’s policies, notably the New Economic Policy (NEP), reinforced systemic racial divisions rather than fostering true equality. The NEP, while ostensibly designed to reduce poverty and rectify economic imbalances, effectively created a racial quota system that benefitted the Malay majority while marginalizing the Chinese and Indian communities. Mahathir’s early writings, particularly The Malay Dilemma, painted the Chinese as a direct threat to Malaysia’s stability, fostering a narrative of ethnic resentment that continues to fuel racial tensions to this day. His portrayal of the Chinese as economic "enemies" served to deepen divisions, positioning the Malays as perpetual victims in need of state-sponsored handouts, thus exacerbating the racial animosity that plagues the nation.

Mahathir’s policies further entrenched these divisions by limiting opportunities for non-Malay communities. By curbing Chinese-language media and downplaying the contributions of the Chinese community to Malaysia’s development, Mahathir helped create an environment of exclusion that denied non-Malay communities a meaningful role in the national discourse. His approach continually pitted ethnic groups against each other, fuelling long-term resentment and instability within Malaysia’s multicultural society.

Even during his second tenure as prime minister (2018-2020), Mahathir’s supposed efforts to reconcile with the Chinese community were undermined by his return to old divisive rhetoric. His partnership with the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which garnered significant Chinese support, appeared more as a political manoeuvre than a sincere commitment to multiracialism. Time and again, Mahathir resorted to his habitual scapegoating of the Chinese, accusing them of causing Malaysia’s political and economic problems. His contradictory stances exposed his opportunism and unwillingness to embrace a truly inclusive vision for the country.

Given all these, we should applaud the Chinese for building their purported control of Kuala Lumpur, even given all of the efforts that Mahathir had made to suppress them. This of course, is not true. The truth is the future of Malaysia must move away from the racial divisions Mahathir nurtured and instead strive for unity, equality, and inclusivity. Mahathir’s legacy serves as a stark warning: no nation can prosper when it is divided along racial lines, and Malaysia must work to heal the divides that Mahathir's leadership entrenched.