Dennis Ignatius
~ Provoking discussion, dissent & debate on politics, diplomacy, human rights & civil society.
The People Who Broke Malaysia, or the People Trying to Fix It
22MondayJun 2026
[1] A columnist recently warned that if non-Malays abandon Pakatan Harapan for Parti Bersama, the result could be an all-Malay government — and that, the argument goes, would be catastrophic for non-Malays. The politics of race and religion would be entrenched. Islamisation would accelerate. Marginalisation would deepen. Discrimination would go unchallenged.
[2] In other words, non-Malays must bite their lips, bury their disappointments, ignore the egregious failures and betrayals of the PH leadership, and vote for them anyway — because the alternative is worse. It is a cynical, fear-driven argument. And it doesn’t hold up.
[3] In practice, regardless of whether the government is all-Malay or multiracial, the outcome for non-Malays has always been the same: the same policies, the same marginalisation, the same discrimination. The Ketuanan Melayu power structure ensures that even when a non-Malay party is part of the government it is not permitted to share power in any meaningful way. It is there to maintain the fiction of multiracial governance, nothing more. What has the DAP, for example ––currently the biggest single bloc in the unity government –– actually delivered for non-Malays?
[4] The same is true on religious issues. PH apologists are fond of stoking fears about the so-called green wave and the extremist agenda of PAS. What often goes unmentioned is that Anwar has done more to advance Malaysia’s drift toward an Islamic state than perhaps any prime minister before him. Under his watch, the Islamic bureaucracy has tightened its grip on national life, religious conservatism has deepened, and tolerance for diversity has narrowed. Non-Muslims have never been more marginalised. And this is happening not under an overtly Malay-Muslim nationalist government but under one that markets itself as multiracial. Warning about what PAS might do rings hollow when PH is already doing it for them.
[5] GE16 will also be a referendum on corruption. The old established parties now vying for our vote have, one way or another, tolerated, turned a blind eye to, excused, or participated in the vast system of corruption that has bled this country dry for decades. They are not innocent bystanders. They are complicit, by commission or omission. Billions have been stolen — money that could have built hospitals, funded schools, raised wages, and given millions a better life. Malaysia should be far more prosperous than it is. Instead, too many citizens depend on handouts simply to survive. And yet these same politicians now present themselves as anti-corruption crusaders, champions of accountability and good governance. They are not the solution. They are the problem. Can we really afford to give them another five years?
[6] They say Bersama is too small to matter — but that’s for us to decide. If enough Malaysians join, contribute, campaign, and vote, Bersama can become a real political force. Even a few dozen seats would be enough to change the calculus of Malaysian politics. As a strong, principled opposition — something Malaysia has not had in a long time — they can demand accountability, expose corruption, and fight for policies that serve all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
[7] The political landscape heading into GE16 is more fluid than it has been in years. Old assumptions may no longer hold. Millions of young Malaysians will be voting for the first time. No one knows which way the tide will turn — but the hunger for real change is unmistakable, and it is growing.
[8] In the end, the real choice is not a racial one — between an all-Malay government and a multiracial one. It is between the parties that broke this country and the one trying to fix it. Between more of the same — the plunder, the racism, the slow decay — and the chance, however uncertain, of a new beginning. The old framework has failed us. It is time to disrupt it. Support Bersama. Give them the chance to prove themselves. If they deliver, keep backing them. If they don’t, hold them to account. That is how you fix a broken political system. One election at a time.
[Dennis Ignatius |Kuala Lumpur |Monday, 22 June 2026]
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