In Malaysia’s ever-turbulent political landscape, few figures loom as large - or as controversial - as Tun Mahathir Mohamad.
Once hailed as a towering statesman and nation-builder, he now finds himself at the centre of a biting accusation: that he is not merely making much noise on Malay disunity, but is in fact one of its chief architects.
Recent remarks by Mahathir, in which he claimed that Malays have only themselves to blame for their political fragmentation, have sparked backlash across party lines. Leaders from Amanah, United Malays National Organisation, and Bersatu parties have united - ironically - in criticising the former prime minister’s statement.
At the heart of the criticism lies a simple but powerful argument: Mahathir cannot absolve himself of responsibility for a situation he helped create.
Amanah Youth chief Hasbie Muda pointed out that Mahathir himself founded Bersatu as a splinter party from UMNO, before later abandoning it to establish yet another offshoot, Pejuang. Each move, critics argue, chipped away at whatever semblance of Malay political unity remained.
Similarly, UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi did not mince words. He accused Mahathir of being driven by an unrelenting desire to return to power - even at the cost of fracturing the very political base he once dominated. According to Puad, Mahathir’s efforts to dismantle UMNO through Bersatu ultimately backfired, leaving behind a splintered landscape and weakened Malay political dominance.
This narrative is further reinforced by Mahathir’s failed attempts to reassemble unity under new banners. His formation of the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) in 2022, touted as a grand coalition of Malay interests, ended in political humiliation when all its candidates - including Mahathir himself - lost their deposits in the general election.
Yet, not all responses were outright dismissive. Razali Idris acknowledged that Mahathir’s statement contained a “bitter truth”: the proliferation of Malay-based parties has indeed fractured the political landscape. However, Razali was quick to highlight that such fragmentation is not the fault of ordinary Malays, but rather the consequence of elite power struggles - struggles in which Mahathir himself played a central role.
This brings us to a deeper, more uncomfortable question: is Mahathir merely diagnosing a problem, or attempting to rewrite his own legacy?
For decades, Mahathir was synonymous with strong, centralised leadership - often criticised as “divide and rule” politics that kept opposition forces weak and fragmented. Today, the very dynamics he once leveraged appear to have spiralled beyond control, creating a political ecosystem where loyalty is fluid, alliances are temporary, and unity is more slogan than substance.
Blaming “the Malays” as a collective may sound convenient, but it risks oversimplifying a complex reality shaped by decades of political manoeuvring, personal ambition, and institutional erosion. Leaders do not merely reflect societal divisions - they shape them.
Mahathir’s critics are therefore asking a fair question: can a man who repeatedly redrew the political map now stand apart from its consequences?
In the end, Malaysia’s Malay political fragmentation is not an accident - it is the cumulative result of choices made by those in power. And as history continues to unfold, the debate over Mahathir’s role will likely remain as polarising as the man himself.
The perception of him as a hypocritical figure - both a self-proclaimed unifier and a divider - remains deeply entrenched. One thing is undeniable: the damaging legacy of his political strategies continues to cast a long shadow over the nation’s future, long after his time at the helm has passed.
By: Kpost
Information Source: Fmt
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