Former deputy unity minister Ti Lian Ker has dismissed Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent comments on Malay unity as misleading, arguing that the former prime minister himself played a central role in dividing the Malay community — both during his time in power and in the years that followed his retirement.
Ti said Mahathir’s claim that Umno once “had all the Malays” under his leadership ignored the fact that deep divisions within the party had already begun to surface long before his resignation in 2003. He pointed to the internal power struggles of the late 1980s, when Umno split into “Team A” and “Team B” as a result of Mahathir’s leadership battle with Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
The fallout from that contest, Ti noted, led to the sacking of Tengku Razaleigh’s allies and the eventual formation of Semangat 46 — a rival Malay party that challenged Umno’s dominance for nearly a decade. “The fragmentation of Malay unity did not begin after Mahathir stepped down. It started under his watch and deepened through his own political decisions,” Ti said.
He also cited the 1998 dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim as deputy prime minister as another key event that fractured the Malay electorate. The sacking, followed by Anwar’s subsequent imprisonment, triggered the Reformasi movement and gave rise to a new generation of Malays who rejected Umno’s traditional dominance.
Even after retiring, Ti said, Mahathir continued to destabilise Malay political unity by forming and dismantling political alliances. His creation of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) to oust Najib Razak and his later establishment of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) after clashing with Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin were examples of how his actions perpetuated disunity.
“What Mahathir is peddling now is revisionist history,” Ti remarked. “He continues to portray himself as the champion of Malay unity while disregarding the fact that his leadership style and political manoeuvres have consistently divided the community.”
He further argued that Mahathir’s legacy has indirectly affected national cohesion, as the fragmentation among Malay-based parties has fuelled racial and religious rhetoric in the political arena. This, Ti warned, has widened societal polarisation and weakened inter-ethnic trust.
Calling for greater political honesty, Ti urged Malaysians to critically evaluate Mahathir’s statements rather than accept them at face value. “The public needs to understand the historical truth,” he said. “We must reflect on how political manipulation of race and religion has brought us here — and not allow ourselves to be misled again.”
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