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Every few months, Tun Dr. Mahathir pops up like a political Alexa device nobody asked for, blurting out something about Malays losing their land, their power, or their identity. This week’s episode: “Malays have lost Penang and the rest of Semenanjung.”
Lost? Hello? Penang didn’t fall into the ocean. It’s still here, with its char kuey teow, traffic jams, and our aunties double-parking like national champions.
Let’s be honest. Nobody “lost” Penang. Nobody “lost” Semenanjung. We’re all living in it, together.
Fear-mongering is so last season
Mahathir’s statement sounds like it was dug up from an old briefcase he hasn’t opened since the 80s. Back then, maybe you could scare Malays by shouting, “The others are coming for your land!” But today? Malaysians just shrug and tap their Touch ’n Go.
Because guess what? Malaysia has progressed. The world has progressed. The only thing not progressing is this recycled ketuanan karaoke track he keeps pressing “repeat” on.
Let’s talk about the Malays of 2025. They run corporations. They build start-ups. They lead NGOs. They’re on TikTok teaching people how to invest, bake sourdough, and survive narcissists.
And they’re doing it while working, living, and makan-ing next to Chinese, Indians, Sabahans, Sarawakians, Orang Asli - basically anyone who can handle cili padi without crying.
These are confident, global, educated Malays. Not the “tolonglah jangan jual tanah nanti kita hilang negeri” Malays Mahathir keeps imagining.
Multiracial Malaysia isn't a threat
As a Penangite, let me tell you this - Penang thrives because it’s a melting pot. The whole island is basically a giant pot of curry mee - a little bit of everything, bubbling together.
No one owns Penang. We share Penang. Just like we share every mamak table where eight friends from four races fight over who’s paying.
Saying “Malays lost Penang” is like saying “The mamaks lost roti canai.” Nonsense. We all eat everything. That’s Malaysia.
Don't insult the modern Malays
Mahathir’s fear narrative is outdated: loud, dramatic, and honestly… clashes with everything in this modern Malaysia.
Today’s Malays aren’t crying about being “overpowered”. They’re crying about house prices, low wages, bad roads, and the fact that Milo ais is now RM5.50.
These are the real issues Malaysians talk about. Not losing land that isn’t actually lost.
Mahathir’s comments don’t protect Malays. They insult them.
He talks as if Malays are fragile, helpless, incapable of success unless wrapped in bubble wrap and stored under government supervision. Sorry Tun, Malays today are strong, smart, competitive, and perfectly able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anyone.
If anything, they’re tired of politicians using race as a life-support machine for their relevance.
The truth is simple
Whether politicians like it or not, Malaysia's future is shared. No single race “owns” Malaysia. We built this country together. We survive it together. And if we ever want to fix it, we must fix it together.
So instead of shouting that Malays “lost Penang,” maybe we should ask: when will our leaders stop dividing us and actually start leading us?
Because Malaysia has moved on. We’re ready for unity, progress, and a nation that actually functions.
Maybe it’s time Tun updated his software - his current version keeps crashing.
Fa Abdul (fa.abdul.penang@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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