OPINION | From Rice to Racial Rage: How Malaysia’s Supermarkets from Speed99 to KK to Mydin, Became Political Minefields
30 Jan 2026 • 8:00 AM MYT
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Mihar Dias
A behaviourist by training, a consultant and executive coach by profession
Picture from Google Gemini's Image Generation (Nano Banana)
By Mihar Dias January 2026
Once upon a simpler Malaysia, a supermarket was where you argued about which brand of chilli sauce was cheaper.
Today, it is where you declare your ethnic loyalty.
Welcome to the new Malaysian shopping experience — where buying groceries is no longer about convenience or price, but about race, religion and political vengeance.
Spend at Mydin to “support Muslims”. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JFCF2rzUJ/
Boycott Speedmart, KK Mart and every shop allegedly owned by “the other side”.
Turn RM100 aid into a loyalty card for cultural warfare.
All triggered by a TikTok comment, a parliamentary joke and the internet’s favourite sport: outrage. https://focusmalaysia.my/speedmart-99-kk-mart-chinese-owned-convenient-chains-under-boycott-radar-after-mydin-dap-fallout/
When Aid for the Poor Turns into Ammunition for the Angry
The Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) programme was meant to help Malaysians cope with rising costs.
Not to crown supermarket champions.
Not to create racial scoreboards.
Not to spark boycott Olympics.
Yet here we are.
An MP remarks that retailers are benefiting.
A business owner feels slandered.
A keyboard warrior threatens a boycott.
And suddenly right-wing groups leap in shouting:
“DAP wants to destroy Muslim businesses!” https://focusmalaysia.my/speedmart-99-kk-mart-chinese-owned-convenient-chains-under-boycott-radar-after-mydin-dap-fallout/
Before you can say “promotion weekend”, Chinese-owned chains are declared enemies of the people.
Boycott lists grow longer than shopping receipts.
Economics has officially put on a racial costume.
When Shopping Becomes a Political Statement
This is where things get dangerous.
Malaysia’s retail scene has always reflected its diverse society.
Some businesses are associated with certain communities.
That by itself isn’t a problem.
The problem starts when:
Buying rice becomes a religious duty.
Choosing a shop becomes an ethnic declaration.
And business success becomes a racial victory.
When Mydin does well — “Muslims are rising!”
When Speedmart grows — “They are stealing our economy!”
Competition turns into conspiracy.
Profit turns into provocation.
Supermarkets turn into battlegrounds.
This isn’t capitalism anymore.
This is identity warfare with price tags.
Politicians and Influencers: Pouring Petrol on Groceries
Instead of cooling tensions, politicians and influencers are fanning them.
Every careless remark becomes fuel.
Every viral post becomes a matchstick.
Aid meant for struggling families is hijacked for political drama.
And anger becomes the most profitable product online.
Because nothing gets clicks like outrage.
Nothing mobilises followers like “us versus them”.
And nothing distracts from real economic issues better than turning neighbours into enemies.
Haven’t We Learned This Lesson Before?
This is the part that should make Malaysians uneasy.
We have walked this road before.
In the 1960s, economic differences were framed along racial lines.
Markets were politicised.
Resentment was stoked.
Tempers flared.
And the country paid dearly.
History didn’t begin on Facebook.
But some people are determined to repeat it — one boycott post at a time.
The Hypocrisy is Almost Comical
The same groups crying about “racial sentiment” today are happily promoting racialised spending.
The same voices screaming about “economic sabotage” had no problem calling for boycotts yesterday.
Principles in Malaysia seem to expire faster than supermarket discounts.
Outrage is selective.
Morality is seasonal.
A Cinder Block Ready to Explode
When markets are divided by ethnicity, conflict isn’t accidental.
It is inevitable.
When politicians weaponise who benefits from aid, they aren’t helping the poor.
They are harvesting anger.
When consumers are taught to see businesses as racial enemies, social harmony quietly cracks.
This mixture of economic stress, identity politics and online provocation is not just unhealthy.
It is a cinder block ready to explode.
A Final Thought Before the Next Boycott Trend
Malaysia’s strength has always been shared prosperity — not racial monopolies.
The moment we turn grocery stores into tribal territories, we invite trouble.
The moment we let aid become ethnic scorekeeping, we poison good policy.
And the moment we allow influencers and politicians to divide us over where we buy sugar and cooking oil, we are walking backwards into history’s darkest chapters.
Let not thy tempers flare.
Not over TikTok drama.
Not over supermarket profits.
Not over RM100 aid vouchers.
Because when economic anger is wrapped in racial and religious flags, it rarely ends with empty shelves.
It ends with broken communities.
By Mihar Dias January 2026
Once upon a simpler Malaysia, a supermarket was where you argued about which brand of chilli sauce was cheaper.
Today, it is where you declare your ethnic loyalty.
Welcome to the new Malaysian shopping experience — where buying groceries is no longer about convenience or price, but about race, religion and political vengeance.
Spend at Mydin to “support Muslims”. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JFCF2rzUJ/
Boycott Speedmart, KK Mart and every shop allegedly owned by “the other side”.
Turn RM100 aid into a loyalty card for cultural warfare.
All triggered by a TikTok comment, a parliamentary joke and the internet’s favourite sport: outrage. https://focusmalaysia.my/speedmart-99-kk-mart-chinese-owned-convenient-chains-under-boycott-radar-after-mydin-dap-fallout/
When Aid for the Poor Turns into Ammunition for the Angry
The Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) programme was meant to help Malaysians cope with rising costs.
Not to crown supermarket champions.
Not to create racial scoreboards.
Not to spark boycott Olympics.
Yet here we are.
An MP remarks that retailers are benefiting.
A business owner feels slandered.
A keyboard warrior threatens a boycott.
And suddenly right-wing groups leap in shouting:
“DAP wants to destroy Muslim businesses!” https://focusmalaysia.my/speedmart-99-kk-mart-chinese-owned-convenient-chains-under-boycott-radar-after-mydin-dap-fallout/
Before you can say “promotion weekend”, Chinese-owned chains are declared enemies of the people.
Boycott lists grow longer than shopping receipts.
Economics has officially put on a racial costume.
When Shopping Becomes a Political Statement
This is where things get dangerous.
Malaysia’s retail scene has always reflected its diverse society.
Some businesses are associated with certain communities.
That by itself isn’t a problem.
The problem starts when:
Buying rice becomes a religious duty.
Choosing a shop becomes an ethnic declaration.
And business success becomes a racial victory.
When Mydin does well — “Muslims are rising!”
When Speedmart grows — “They are stealing our economy!”
Competition turns into conspiracy.
Profit turns into provocation.
Supermarkets turn into battlegrounds.
This isn’t capitalism anymore.
This is identity warfare with price tags.
Politicians and Influencers: Pouring Petrol on Groceries
Instead of cooling tensions, politicians and influencers are fanning them.
Every careless remark becomes fuel.
Every viral post becomes a matchstick.
Aid meant for struggling families is hijacked for political drama.
And anger becomes the most profitable product online.
Because nothing gets clicks like outrage.
Nothing mobilises followers like “us versus them”.
And nothing distracts from real economic issues better than turning neighbours into enemies.
Haven’t We Learned This Lesson Before?
This is the part that should make Malaysians uneasy.
We have walked this road before.
In the 1960s, economic differences were framed along racial lines.
Markets were politicised.
Resentment was stoked.
Tempers flared.
And the country paid dearly.
History didn’t begin on Facebook.
But some people are determined to repeat it — one boycott post at a time.
The Hypocrisy is Almost Comical
The same groups crying about “racial sentiment” today are happily promoting racialised spending.
The same voices screaming about “economic sabotage” had no problem calling for boycotts yesterday.
Principles in Malaysia seem to expire faster than supermarket discounts.
Outrage is selective.
Morality is seasonal.
A Cinder Block Ready to Explode
When markets are divided by ethnicity, conflict isn’t accidental.
It is inevitable.
When politicians weaponise who benefits from aid, they aren’t helping the poor.
They are harvesting anger.
When consumers are taught to see businesses as racial enemies, social harmony quietly cracks.
This mixture of economic stress, identity politics and online provocation is not just unhealthy.
It is a cinder block ready to explode.
A Final Thought Before the Next Boycott Trend
Malaysia’s strength has always been shared prosperity — not racial monopolies.
The moment we turn grocery stores into tribal territories, we invite trouble.
The moment we let aid become ethnic scorekeeping, we poison good policy.
And the moment we allow influencers and politicians to divide us over where we buy sugar and cooking oil, we are walking backwards into history’s darkest chapters.
Let not thy tempers flare.
Not over TikTok drama.
Not over supermarket profits.
Not over RM100 aid vouchers.
Because when economic anger is wrapped in racial and religious flags, it rarely ends with empty shelves.
It ends with broken communities.
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