Pakatan Harapan won 11 seats (DAP nine, PKR two), with two of its political heavyweights, Transport Minister Anthony Loke and former menteri besar Aminuddin Harun, losing their state seats in Chennah and Linggi respectively.

Harapan’s vote share was 39.7 percent this year compared to 44.4 percent in the 2022 general election.

Malay vote consolidation

The major difference this time was that the Malay votes were not split between BN and PN, and the two coalitions combined to win more than 55 percent of the popular vote, which is sufficient to win a comfortable majority of seats in a first-past-the-post electoral system.

Bersatu’s vote share plummeted to 2.7 percent with only one out of its 24 candidates retaining his deposit (N7 Jeram Padang).

Candidates must pay a deposit of RM10,000 for parliamentary and RM5,000 for state seats when contesting in elections. They will lose their deposit if they fail to win at least 12.5 percent of the vote.

My initial estimates of Malay and Chinese turnout for the state election were 78 percent and 62 percent respectively. In a 57 percent Malay electorate state like Negeri Sembilan where an estimated 80 percent of Malay voters supported BN or PN, this translates into an electoral advantage of slightly more than seven percent for BN and PN candidates.

My initial estimate of Malay support for Harapan in this state election was less than 10 percent, at around eight percent. Among the Chinese voters who turned out to vote, more than 90 percent supported Harapan, but this wasn’t enough to “save” Loke in Chennah, which was effectively a 40 percent Chinese seat versus 60 percent Malay+Orang Asli who voted overwhelmingly for the BN/MCA candidate.

This state election wasn’t just a case of votes being transferred from PN to BN and vice versa. In 30 of the 36 state seats, Harapan's share of the vote fell compared with the 2022 general election.

Source: Thevesh on X

Out of the six state seats where Harapan experienced an increase in support were N1 Chennah and N32 Linggi (by 2.4 percent in both seats), but because most of the votes won by PN in 2022 were transferred to BN in 2026, this small increase in support was overwhelmed by the even larger increase in support, especially among the Malay voters, for BN and PN.

Lessons for Harapan

What lessons can Harapan take away from this defeat?

If there was one piece of advice that I would give to Harapan and especially Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, it would be this: please focus on delivering the political and institutional reforms which were the fundamental reasons for which you promised while in opposition, and move away from the short-term tactics which failed to deliver you the votes in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

The electorate is too knowledgeable for you to try to win them over with short-term tactics such as making public the Tabung Haji royal commission of inquiry report three years after it was completed in the hope that it would sway some Malay voters, trying to make political capital out of the deportation of 5,000 Rohingya back to Myanmar, and apologising for the “temple issue” to the Indian community.

The institutional reforms that could be delivered before GE16 include:

(i) 10-year term limit to the tenure of the prime minister

(ii) Separation of the public prosecutor and attorney-general roles (both of these bills were not tabled in the recently concluded parliamentary session)

(iii) Introducing an equal constituency allocation bill so that opposition MPs would receive the same allocation as government MPs

(This is important especially since Harapan is likely to find itself back in the opposition after GE16)

(iv) Go back to pushing for electoral reform including a fair delimitation of constituencies at the federal and state levels.

The reform test

The last reform is a good reminder to Anwar and Harapan leaders. In May 2024, Anwar had an opportunity to fill the vacancy of the Election Commission chairperson.

Many NGOs, including Bersih and Tindak Malaysia, asked for the list of names for this position to be vetted by the parliamentary special select committee on human rights, elections, and institutional reform, headed by PKR MP for Selayang, William Leong.

I suggested a few candidates who were seen to be independent and respected by the public, especially with regard to electoral reform.

In the end, Parliament was not consulted, and Anwar tabled a name, Ramlan Harun, who is a retired civil servant, following the same modus operandi used by BN in the past, to fill the position of the EC chairperson.

(I have nothing against ex-civil servants, but they are the least likely to want to push for electoral reform independently.)

Would the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections have been called at the same time if there was a more independent EC chairperson? This would be something that would continue to haunt Harapan.

It is noteworthy that coalition leaders, including Anwar himself, have done and said almost nothing in terms of electoral reform, including on the important delimitation of electoral boundaries which is supposed to start in 2026 and conclude in 2028.

Ironically, a fairer delimitation of constituencies is one of the few things which could help Harapan in future elections, but there is not enough time under this Madani administration.

Pushing for these reforms is the right thing for Harapan to do even if it ends up in the opposition post GE16. The long-suffering Harapan supporters deserve as much.

Meerkat : Anwar is too busy poking his nose into external affairs and trying to be more well known internationally than putting right Malaysia's ills. He turned out to be a bad PM and dashed the hopes of a lot of right thinking Malaysians

Sampehpagi : All these advices were already in RR’s podcasts but sadly, Mr. Madani just won’t do it, he feels afloat higher than others, he reminded others he’s the sitting PM. 

His apology if any if not sincere, not from his heart, it’s from his brain for votes, the only thing he can do is the MGR dance. TH RCI reports he sat on it for almost 4 years, any forensic audits?

Mia Talias

They chose their path, they’ve done their damage, and I will not entertain this fake utopian universe that only adheres to the western mind, I live in the Middle East, and when my enemy tells me they want me dead- I believe them. 

His words sound good in theory, but this is not reality. He is delusional in his thoughts. Sad but true. Agree with you, sis. It’s so cringe hearing Rudy continue down this path of appeasement. 

He doesn’t represent most us because people who want to delete us sure as hell don’t deserve to be called family! Finally!!!!! Mia, thank you for saying that. That's exactly what I'm thinking every time I hear him.

[2] Don’t be surprised if Hadi Awang becomes deputy prime minister. That would put PAS one step closer to its long-cherished goal of ruling Malaysia and, ultimately, transforming it into an Islamic state. It doesn’t augur well that a party with a history of corruption, racism, and abuse of power alongside a party with a history of bigotry and extremism could now sit in Putrajaya.

[3] Malaysia is at this inflection point because of the perfidy of the PH leadership, and Anwar in particular. He had every opportunity to usher in the reforms he promised; instead he pawned them for ambition and power. He struck a Faustian bargain with UMNO that stripped his government of the political will to fight corruption. His promise of a more inclusive government turned out to be nothing more than a chimera.

I have never insulted and won’t insult Hindu Gods. I have witnessed those who insulted Hinduism and Hindu Gods. They are damned here on earth. Very unlike Christian Gods, where you get a chance to explain ( and seek forgiveness) in heaven. Hindu Gods are a little different.

Remember, Khir Toyo who went on a demolishing spree? He lost his position and ended up in prison;

Remember, Isa Samad, so many temples demolished during the time he was FT Minister and now serving time in prison;

Remember, the corporate tycoon who where a Hindu temple in his land ( estate ) was demolished and he died in a airplane crash;

There are many similar instances.

Even if you do not pay with prison or death, damnation can come with loss of office. Remember the FT mayor involved in the transfer of the temple land? Well, she was removed from her post; 

Remember the FT minister who was involved in the land transfer? Well, not only she lost her cabinet post but also led her party to a disastrous state election. Oh by the way, let us also not forget about the huge fire at the landowners godown/shop that caused a RM100 million damage. 

So there is something about Hinduism. These small shrines, temples and statues provide peace and succour for Hindus, sometimes for hundred of years. But if you think they are offensive and should be removed and destroyed, you will face temporal damnation. 

So the answer to your question is this- There will never arise a situation for me to apologise to Goddess Kali, because I will not do any act to hurt Goddess Kali and such a situation of having to apologise will never arise. 

By contrast, Anwar is facing a temporal damnation which he cannot win. So, he should apologise to Goddess Kali for what he did. Getting the temple demolished, laying the first foundation stone and making his victory of Islam speech. 

He has finally apologised for calling temples built without permission as kuil haram. Perhaps he should now find a way to make peace with Hinduism, Hindus, Hindu Gods and definitely with Goddess Kali. How? Well, I can give some suggestions ( he can call me).

Sarong

It is treated less as an argument than as common knowledge. A closer examination of the historical record, however, reveals a rather different picture.

To be clear, nobody disputes that the peninsula became the heart of Malay civilisation. This is where the great sultanates rose, where the Malay language reached its highest prestige, where Islam took deep root, and where Malay custom matured into one of Southeast Asia’s most enduring civilisations. None of that is in question here.

Anonymous_1604837673139.52421604837450062: Very good article... A lot of insights. Thank you Ranjit..

KitaBoleh : Ask Najib, it's in Indonesia. Ask Zahid, it's Java. ASK. Mahathir, it's India. Ask Syed Mokhtar, it's Yemen. Ask H2O, it's Turkiye..... That's the answer.

In a Facebook statement, DAP deputy chairperson Nga Kor Ming said that Loke, who is also the party’s secretary-general, had demonstrated outstanding leadership in the face of an exceptionally challenging and arduous election and that he would stand by Loke.

Veteran 1972 : DAP urges govt to keep promise, ensure all 10A SPM students get matriculation spots 

World Citizen : Mr. DAP, are you part of the government or an NGO? If the former, then demand it as people have given you the clout and mandate. Don't beg for the crumbs. 

If you think you are just an NGO, then just save your breath and spare us the agony of looking at your pathetic face every time you open your mouth.

BlueMarlin3893 : Just quit, you made the blunders.

BlueShark1548 : Loke should not only quit as NS DAP chief but as DAP SG as well as his compromise politics with Anwar are rejected by NMs.Loke is a good and hardworking minister but that should not be good enough to save his position as DAP leader. 

With 40 MPs, the largest in the unity government DAP was willing to accept crumps from Anwar and UMNO.UMNO got what it wanted with 26 BN MPs.DAP even walked away from Teoh's case and his family is still waiting for justice which DAP leaders talk only but did nothing. 

Anwar did not bother to honor PH manifesto and DAP kept quiet.Same conduct with former MACC chief and many immigration and PDRM cases.Loke continued role as DAP chief is not acceptable and if he continues DAP will suffer the final consequences in GE16 .DAP will go down with Anwar when it is only Anwar who should sink. 

Gobind's and other leaders' statement of acceptance of defeat with humility is just talk but where is the action? Hopefully DAP Congress in August will deliver a clear message of principles to its leadership and not behave like MCA in its endorsement of Chua as leader when he was involved in a scandal. 

apanama is back : First things first, Anthony Loke MUST step down as DAP Negeri Sembilan party chief because not only did he lose, but his party also did not meet his expectations. A new DAP Negeri Sembilan leader should helm the state chapter. 

There is NO need for a day or two for a cool head to prevail. It is a direct decision by Loke. Loke should go ahead and convince his colleague during the upcoming DAP central executive committee meeting to accept his resignation as state chief. 

If you stay on, it sends a wrong message that you did not read the voters' message. Do not try to follow what UMNO Baru will do; when they lose, they keep the post, saying they will try later. One can spin in many ways about Loke's loss, whether the margin is small, DAP got 9 out of 11, so it is not bad, maths said progressive voters still intact, blah, blah, etc. 

Spin until the cows come home. However, the message is NOT only from Negeri Sembilan. It goes beyond yesterday's state election results. Anthony Loke and DAP should look at yesterday's defeat as a CUMULATIVE DECLINE in his support base since the Sabah election. 

During the campaign, Loke sang praises about how the Malays had supported him since 2013 in Chennah. After his defeat, his supporters and 'ampu bodekers' began blaming the Malay voters. Why do you need to blame certain voters? Any voters, be it Malay, Indians, Chinese, Sikh, etc., are NOT a fixed deposit. 

Get this into your mind. One day you sing praises of certain voters, and when things never go as you wish, you blame everything except yourselves. This is why PH and DAP have been losing since the Sabah election. Since the buck stops with Anthony Loke in Negeri Sembilan, he should take responsibility for his miscalculation of voters' sentiment. 

Remember, Anthony Loke's loss of his state seat is not an ordinary 'bungkus.' It is sending a serious message to him and DAP due to the cumulative effect. He can continue with his SG, MP and Minister's job since his head is cool all the time.

If we do the same things, vote for the same people, don't expect a different result, ok. Think differently. Do differently. Absolutely true. Hopefully all Malaysians will listen to this podcast. Very true. Kudos to you Sam. You took all the words out of my mouth. 

One more, please eliminate the Police Outriders which cost the Rakyat huge expenses and a nuisance in Heavy Traffic during Peak hours. Our money is used up by our many many politicians and getting pension for life. Malaysian wake up. Religious Affairs Minister should move to the 1st to get rid of. 

The sad part is that political tyranny thrives on the very points you brought up. Why? Because day after day, it is the same game that is being played and they are free to do so at the peoples' expense. Even worse, the opposition is completely nonexistent or even hopeless. 

Parliament is nothing but a circus, where the ponteng culture goes unnoticed, because as you say there are too many clowns and assistant clowns, who have no clue as to the very reason they are there or bothered only about themselves. What more, the same tyranny of clowns will be recycled back (or rebranded). 

Not only choices are limited, but people change once power and circumstances are at stake. At the end of the day, change is difficult to come and we will continue to be at the mercy of the tyranny, whoever seems to be elected to "power".

The Unmistakable Smirk Says It All

Malaysiakini : Anwar appeals to Indian voters, seeks forgiveness for 'illegal temple' remark. N SEMBILAN POLLS | Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim appealed to Indian voters last night to forgive his past mistake of referring to houses of worship on disputed land as “illegal”. “Since I have been the prime minister, there was not a single old temple that I have demolished. None. There are rules.

The Sri Raja Raja Mathuraiveeran Hindu temple in Kampung Rawa, Penang, was demolished on March 27, 1998, by municipal workers (MPPP) following an agreement to relocate the shrine to Jalan S.P. Chelliah to defuse severe religious tensions and localized rioting. 

This action occurred under the Penang state administration led by then-Chief Minister Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, with federal intervention and negotiation managed alongside then-Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 

BrownMouse3827 : Hello PMX, have just realized that you offended the Hindu community with your Kuil Haram outburst. It took you more than a year and also when you proclaimed a victory for Islam over the Masjid India Kuil.

Veteran 1972 : Indians do not need to vote for him at all and the rest who sympathise with the Indians. He has another voting block, he goes out on a limb for the Palestinians. 

He should ask them to vote for him. He has given more to them than the Indians. Yippee kayeh, he truly blew it big time. Who can forget about the "Bangang Veterans"? Want to apologise to us too?

BlueWolf8708 : Yes AI before elections your promise everything but after election kuil haram will come out then the Indian girl who asked your about matriculation you insulted at least she had the guts to ask not like Ram so many promises but nothing has been done. 

Generally all Indian DAP and Harapan MP's are sitting ducks waiting for allowance and pension. Total disgrace in NS election the unwanted MIC will all their seats. Goodbye and Goodridance HARAPAN.

Dr Suresh Kumar : There he goes again with his same old deceptive pattern. Issuing a fauxpology filled with empty, feel good bromides close to an election. Does he think the Indians who were once a pliant lot will remain the same? 

How much and how long more you want to insult them? Asking Ramanan to look into Indian issues is a gross lack of respect for a community that gave this mythomania their undivided and wholehearted support. The Indians should never trust this unremorseful demagogue again. 

After all genuflecting is his wont during desperate moments, isn’t it? The issue is not about forgiving as our faith, culture and tradition have taught us to open our doors to our enemies if they showed genuine contrition. But this man cried wolf too many times to forgive. 

He openly insults the Indians when he is addressing the majority race and conveniently thinks it will be forgotten. He insulted the KBP villages in 2008 and then disappeared when they wanted to meet him and now out of a sense of foreboding he addresses a crowd of one thousand Indians promising this and that as though they are fools. 

Anwar’s diabolical strategy to win Indian votes is bound to backfire spectacularly. Maybe, just maybe if he had zipped up his mouth, he might have won some Indian votes in the upcoming NS election. Even if Anwar is willing to give in writing whatever he promises, I would not touch him with a ten foot pole. Que sera, sera Anwar!

Senior Citizen : A hypocrite if there ever was one.What about the sale of land to Jakel and that extremist who damaged the temple in Lankawi.

apanama is back : After losing the Indian votes in the Johor state election and anticipating he may lose Indian votes in N9, he needs to apologise. Otherwise, MOST PROBABLY Anwar WILL NOT apologise for his statement about Indian temples. 

However, one wonders how a PM who said "anak India anak saya" SUDDENLY uttered, "kuil haram." Yes, he is NOT perfect, but Anwar should not be hiding under the pretext that "The prime minister is not perfect; the prime minister is also a human being, sometimes he does not mean it when he uses the wrong term." Anwar, as a PM, I am NOT expecting perfection from you. 

However, you are the Prime Minister and surrounded by so-called advisers. So why do you never think and measure your words before speaking them? This is the crux of the issue, not perfection. 

If a man on the street said "kuil haram", it could be forgiven, but a PM, educated and fond of showing off his quotes as a widely read person, saying so-do you expect people to forgive you when you have the resources to avoid saying so in the first place? You can quote Tirukkural, but you can call temples illegal. I am puzzled.

Traveloka WINNING : There is no need for Anwar to apologize, when he said that it's VICTORY for Islam for a MADANI mosque to be built on top of an illegal Indian temple, he knew exactly what he meant and the impact. 

He knew that the majority of the MM would approve every single use of the word: Islam Victory, illegal temple. It can only help his statue in the eyes of the MMs (But that's different than voting for him). 

He also asked for more illegal temples to be cleaned up, so that the dignity of Islam can be defended, and he got what he wanted with the vigilante act in Rawang and all. That's what he wanted and he knew it. So why apologize now?

WhiteHornet2439 : A leopard cannot change its spots..... from Day 1 that started during his student days...he has not changed. 

In his obsession for the support from the other camp, he has marginalized the communities that actually helped him attain the position he is in today.... for a few more months....before he becomes XPM. 

Saying sorry now is too little too late. More funds have been allocated to people in far away lands than the marginalized in our homeland

2/Lt Tan Siew Soo, Leopoldville, Congo. early November 1960.

The reception enroute was fantastic, people rushed out from their houses on both sides of the track to wave and greet us. It was a spontaneous super duper wave of friendly hands throughout the forty odd kilometer journey. This jesture touched the heart of every soldier on that train.

Arriving at the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station we marched out to an open space for a welcome home address by our Deputy Prime Minister cum Defence Minister, Tun Abdul Razak bin Dato Hussein. This wonderful welcome home here was another very touching scene for us the returning soldiers.

Eight thousand well wishes with placards jammed the small area to greet these returning heroes. (The Straits Times 31 July 1961).this must be the closest perception of rewards for soldiering! Earlier, on 24th June 1961, the UN Supreme Commander, Lt Gen Sean McKeon specially flew down over two thousand kilometres from Kinshasa to Kalemie to present the Officers of this MSF the Congo Medal during a Farewell Parade.

Excerpts of his speech(The Straits Times 4 July 1961) are as below: "...... You have been given many difficult assignments since your arrival in November last year. These tasks have been performed in a magnificent manner. It has been a pleasure to deal with you and to see the readiness with which orders were accepted and carried out efficiently.

You have every right to return to Malaya proud in the knowledge that you have given a good account of yourselves. I hope your people, your army and your country will come to know fully of the very fine record you have gained for yourselves here in the cause of peace in the Congo and indeed peace in the world as a whole........ "

Lt Col TAN SIEW SOO (Retired, Jan 1957-Nov 1990) ARMOUR

A scandal emerges. An inquiry is launched. A report is produced. Promises are made. And yet, years later, Malaysians still ask the same question: Who is responsible? 

Former Tabung Haji chairperson Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim has defended himself by saying he was merely a non-executive chairperson. He did not run daily operations, had no absolute authority, and did not know what was happening at the working level.

TM My Foot : Bailout after bailout using taxpayers’ money, which also means what the minorities pay to govt. So, to all those religious Malay Muslim racists in PAS, UMNO and PN who likes to chastise the minorities and make us feel unwelcome, think again, how we helped saved your bacon. 

BMF, 1MDB, LCS, Tabung Haji and eFishery and many more, every time a bailout happens, you use our money. Sad thing is, all of these are helmed by Malay Muslims, NOT the minorities. So, you can “buat bodoh” all you want. You cannot escape that fact. So, jaga-jaga itu mulut sikit. Jangan kurang ajar the next time you speak.

Knucklehead2 : These fellas will run off to perform Umrah, wash away all their sins, then come back dressed like holy men parading piousness — over and over again. UMNO’s scripted SOP, perfected through decades. Haven’t you noticed? Same cycle, same hypocrisy, same show. Saya tak tau!

Donplaypuks : Why was TH bailed out with RM20 BILLION taxpayers guaranteed bond, when as a pilgrimage fund benefiting only 1 class of citizens i.e. Muslims, when the non-peforming assets should have been bailed out by e.g. PNB?

apanama is back : Mariam, it is all about seat-warming and pocket-filling. So "I don't know what is going on, but I know when my pocket is filled up." As I mentioned yesterday, this TH scandal is NOT a typical financial scandal in our country. 

Still, it goes to the core of the religion: betrayal of AMANAH. This scandal has exposed the hypocrisy and pretentiousness of UMNO Baru and PAS politicians. All of them are FAKE Muslims. Nothing about religion and race as long as 'what is for me' and 'I do not care how they run the organisation, and I do not want to know.' 

Yes, 'perjuangan yang belum selesai, sehingga poket aku penuh." Whether it is 'creative accounting' or 'document falsification' (as in football scandal), it will be a forget-and-move-on kind of thing because 'apa nak malu.' The so-called holier-than-thou is even worse than Attila the Hun.

Kedah Menteri Besar Sanusi Nor recently claimed that the “Malays only have this Tanah Melayu. Indians have India, Chinese have China.” This was a twisted view of history.

A week later, The Malay Mail reported the prime minister saying that history must reflect the “sacrifice and devotion” of locals, not be dictated by the narratives of former colonial masters.

Was Sanusi Right To Say Malays Only Have Tanah Melayu? (Sanusi kata Melayu hanya ada Tanah Melayu)

UNDECIDED : Sadly, it’s no accident that the blood and sweat of Chinese and Indians in building this nation’s wealth are being erased from school textbooks - 17 of the 18 writers are from one ethnic group, noted Ranjit. 

The above is the most ungracious and "sinister" strategy to deny children from learning the true history of the country which should be used to unify all Malaysians. 

Unfortunately, it actually lower the image of the Malay community as a whole in the eyes of the World and all thanks to their political and community leaders using underhand tactics to deny the contributions of others.

Determined Sarawakian : Andrew, thank you so much for your op-ed. You’re right to highlight how Malaysian history has been repeatedly bent by political jingoism and selective favouritism. 

Too often, those who are not historians take liberties with the record, reshaping it to suit their narrative. I call this historical expunction — the deliberate erasure or distortion of inconvenient truths. This practice is hardly unique to Malaysia. Ex-colonial and neo-colonising powers have long engaged in such manipulation, especially in societies shaped by ethnic migrations during the colonial era. 

The underlying policy is always the same: containment and domination. By rewriting history, they seek to control identity, memory, and ultimately, power.

OrangePanther1466 : Andrew's piece is in direct response to Sanusi's assertion that Malays only has Peninsula Malaysia as it's homeland while the Chinese have China and Indians have India. Hence, the riposte cannot avoid the racial slant. 

The whole purpose of Andrew's co-op was to debunk Sanusi's race baiting by highlighting the other races contribution in nation building which the system have progressively belittled and perhaps, even eventually eliminate altogether over time. 

I find Andrew's article most informative and well balanced. We have to acknowledge history as it was as we cannot change it. Trying to whitewash or brownwashing it only reflects the inferiority complex of the deniers.

HJ Angus : How would Malaysia have an accurate history when ruins of a different culture were removed in Kedah and all traces extinguished? That should be a criminal offence against our shared heritage.

Dr Peter Jebaseelan Jesudason : Andrew Sia said: " I agree with Ranjit that Malays are the “tunjang” or backbone of this country. " The above statement unwittingly reinforces the " Ketuanan " ideology which has percolated through all aspects of our society in a very deliberate manner by the ruling political Malay elite. 

The fact is, Malaysia is a nation made of multiple ethnicities and religious beliefs which defines our unique character. The '' tunjang '' of Malaysia are ALL the races with their unique cultures and contributions. How would the Ibans of Sarawak or the Kadazans of Sabah feel if they are told Malays are the backbone of Malaysia? 

When MB Sanusi of Kedah says the Malays only have Tanah Melayu, whereas the Chinese have China and the Indians have India, this is patently not true. Malaysia for a start does not allow for dual citizenship. Using his warped logic, it follows the Kedah Malays have Thailand as well, because Kedah was ruled by the King of Siam before 1909. 

The British, using gunboat diplomacy managed to persuade the Siamese ruler to cede Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu to British Malaya in the Bangkok Treaty of 1909.

hrrmph : "Artificially inflated bubbles don’t help genuine Malay progress; they just mask failures". These bubbles also cocoon the Malays in a fantasy world. They will be quite unprepared to face the world and the truth when they step out, as they must. 

The real world cannot be ignored. How are they to compete globally? The government is not doing the Malays any favours in making them as precious as the protagonist in "The Princess and the Pea". 

Does anyone want their children to be so sensitive and incapable of taking care of themselves or do they want to bring them up tough, and capable? Unless of course it is not about doing the best for their "children" but to make sure they are always Tuan with armies of slaves, forever beholden, forever trapped. All for the glory of their masters.

KNSamy : Well-said! Politicians distort history for their selfish ends. But, where are our historians - and professors who teach history in our universities? Are they still figuring out the real history of this nation, yet have received their academic positions? 

Or are they serving the politicians? I see that Ranjit Singh Malhi has been the only one voicing out his views without fear or favour - and those in power in this country have successfully kept him out of any of the panels that review Malaysian history for educational institutions!

Exile : The rapid economic development of British Malaya was driven to a large extent by migrant labour from China, India, and other parts of the Malay Archipelago, while the Malay states and rulers provided the political framework within which British colonial rule operated. 

To describe Malays as the "backbone" of the country without qualification is therefore misleading, as it conflates the political foundations of the state with the economic forces that transformed it. 

If "backbone" is intended to mean the principal drivers of modern Malaysia's development, then the historical evidence points to the indispensable contributions of diverse communities rather than to any single ethnic group. 

The term is therefore not an objective historical description but a contested interpretation that depends on whether one is referring to political sovereignty, economic development, or national identity. A close examination of history shows that the political- socio-cultural landscape of the Malay Peninsula was shaped by a multitude of influences. 

The Europeans, South Asians, East Asians, Arabs, and peoples from across the Malay Archipelago contributed to the region's development, bringing with them their religions, cultural traditions, ethical values, and commercial networks. Modern Malaysia is therefore the product of centuries of interaction among diverse peoples rather than the achievement of any single community.

Change123 : The truth shall set you free.

Read the rest of Andrew Sia's article here........

At the infamous Execution Dock on the River Thames in London, thousands of miles from the tropical waters of the Malay world. As it turns out, these four men may not have been pirates at all, but ordinary sailors. Yet who were they? 

What crimes had brought them halfway around the world to a London gallows? And how had four inhabitants of the Malay Archipelago become entangled in a story of murder, mutiny, and the hangman's noose? 

This is a tale of seamen who endured brutal months at sea in cramped and often brutal conditions. Men who helped keep the ships of the British Empire moving across the world's oceans, frequently at great cost to their health, freedom, and sometimes even their lives.

It proclaimed a jihad, or holy war, against Britain and its allies, declaring it the religious duty of Muslims living under their rule to wage war against the enemies of the Caliphate. The aim was clear: to ignite unrest among the millions of Muslims living under British and French colonial rule. 

Within months, it seemed that this call to arms was echoing half a world away in British Malaya. On 29 April 1915, a local religious leader, Haji Mohd Hassan bin Munas, better known as Tok Janggut, led hundreds of villagers in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, in an armed rebellion against British colonial rule. When the colonial government introduced a new land tax, Tok Janggut and his followers refused to pay. 

An attempt to arrest him ended with the death of a police sergeant, and soon hundreds of villagers had risen in open revolt. The rebels briefly seized the district and established their own administration before British troops crushed the uprising, killing Tok Janggut in battle. The rebellion has traditionally been portrayed as a local dispute over taxation. 

Yet there may have been more to it. Tok Janggut had spent several years studying under Islamic scholars in the holy city of Mecca and his uprising formed part of a broader wave of Muslim unrest inspired by the Ottoman call to jihad. Just two months earlier, on 15 February 1915, British fears of a wider Muslim uprising appeared to become reality. 

Around half the men of the 5th Light Infantry stationed in Singapore, a regiment composed largely of Indian Muslim soldiers, mutinied after rumours spread that they were about to be sent to fight against the Ottoman Empire, whose Sultan was also the Caliph of Islam. The mutineers shot their British officers, released captured German prisoners of war, and rampaged across Singapore, killing dozens of soldiers and civilians. 

For days, one of Britain's most important naval bases in Asia descended into chaos. It took British, French, Russian and Japanese marines, as well as the Sultan's Johore Military Force, to quell the rebellion and restore order. By the evening of 17th February, 432 mutineers had been captured. The aftermath was brutal. More than 200 of the mutineers were court-martialled, and 47 were executed before a crowd of some 15,000 spectators. 

Later investigations revealed that many of the Muslim sepoys had been influenced by an Indian Muslim merchant in Singapore, Kasim Mansur, together with a local imam, Nur Alam Shah. At meetings in Mansur's home, they urged the soldiers to obey the Ottoman Sultan's fatwa and turn their weapons against their British officers. 

In their eyes, this was their jihad against the kafirs who were waging war on fellow Muslims defending the Caliphate. The Ottoman Empire would ultimately lose the First World War, and the centuries-old Caliphate would soon disappear forever.

Behind him stood the strongest naval base Britain had ever built east of Suez — the place the newspapers had called the Gibraltar of the East, and impregnable. Within hours, some eighty thousand of his men had laid down their arms. 

It was the largest surrender in the history of the British military. And the enemy they surrendered to was an army less than half their size, that was almost out of shells. This is the dark story of Fortress Singapore. For twenty years, Britain had told the world this island could not fall — a bastion of concrete and heavy guns that would hold the East against any enemy. It fell in seventy days. 

And the way it fell broke something that never fully healed: the belief, across half the world, that the British Empire could not be beaten. But the surrender you have heard about is not the darkest part of this story. The darkest part came after the guns went quiet, when the victors turned from the soldiers to the city itself — and to the tens of thousands of civilians who had nowhere left to run.

Looking beyond the Negeri Sembilan polls, the canvas looks bleak and foreboding with patches of sunshine here and there. PKR, with 31 parliamentary seats, will be more or less destroyed, with support waning rapidly among both Malays and non-Malays.

Breakaway Parti Bersama Malaysia is likely to take some seats in urban areas or at the very least spoil it for PKR and DAP.

Chefoo : The NMs were suppressed from Independence under BN rule that we wanted a change and voted for PH. We expected too much from them thinking that we would be treated with fairness and just. What we wanted was chances to advance ourselves and treated as a citizen and respect. 

We placed too much hope on Anwar thinking with all his bad experience under BN and the support all right thinking Msian gave him….will administer the country in a fair manner. We were wrong and totally wrong to have assumed this. He took the NMs and his main component party DAP as suckers. 

He never for once backed DAP fearing backlash from MMs. He never commented on any issues that affected the NMs for fear of looking too supportive of them and loosing MM support. He allowed racial discriminations and selective prosecutions. He allowed UMNO to play upper hands on many matters when he should have had the control. 

He aimed at getting MM’s approvals and support but never got any either. He played into the games and schemes of UMNO. Today he stands naked with no support from anyone. He should bow out. He brought this onto himself and eventually destroyed the fabrics of unity left in this country.

3 self-radicalised teens detained by ISD; 2 planned attacks on schools in Singapore

Two of them planned to carry out attacks in their schools, with one being arrested just weeks before the planned event. We should appreciate and support the Spore government for doing a good job. Serious cases. 

Rehabilitation is really a throw of the dice. Adult crime = adult punishment. Good job thwarting their plan. In US they are trying to protect terrorist. Same in Australia now. It’s sad how the public would sympathise with groups with radical ideology.

I was accused of asserting that the Malays have only Malaya whereas other peoples have countries historically associated with their respective origins.

What I said was simply this: “The Malays have no other land left. The Malays have only Malaya. Indians have India. The Chinese have China… Where do the Malays belong? The Malays belong here and nowhere else.”

I subsequently reiterated the same proposition by referring to the history of the nation’s formation: “Allah has ordained that every nation has a land and every people has a land of its own.

“The Siamese are in Thailand, the Vietnamese in Vietnam, the Kampucheans in Cambodia, the Chinese in China and the Indians in India… This land was once called Malaya. The Federation of Malaya was established.” I delivered these remarks in the context of the Negeri Sembilan state election campaign.

I linked Malaya’s historical identity to the economic and political position of the Malays, the establishment of the Federation of Malaya and the need for the Malay community to remain attentive to contemporary political developments.

Veteran 1972 : Spinning when caught with his pants down! Engage your gear before you open your mouth, what I mean is engage your brains first before your mouth runs away. 

Meerkat : Your defensiveness indicate that you have been caught with your hand in the cookie jar. Such an over-reacting explanation tells us more than what you have stated. It tells us that they way you said it was mischievous and that your intention is dubious.

apanama is back : Sanusi, you still want to justify your racist speech by spinning, again and again. Now, you change your "Tanah Melayu" to "Malaya." When are you going to change it to "Malaysia?" You did not read history, and you are saying it is based on historical fact. Or did you learn in school the rewritten history by some 'tak boleh pakai' historians? Next, ask your President, Hadi Awang, to spin for you. He already called DAP 'pendatang' when Hadi's ancestor is 'pendatang' too. You people are the biggest clowns, 🤡!

JKT : Who wrote this for Sanusi ? The very reason the Minangs forced the N9 elections on everyone is because they are all fighting over a throne they first imported and shared from Sumatra. Ask Rais Yatim...filial son of Sumatra...Malaysia second.

Sando : Hey Nusi, you definitely didn't write this. You probably realize that the Malays basically migrated from all over Indonesia over the Centuries like some Chinese and Indians too. 

Note the Bujang Valley in your backyard. Why do you deny it? Also why do you deny the existence of the Orang Asli who are the Original People of the land you call Tanah Melayu?

- Economist and political scientist Joseph Alois Schumpeter

COMMENT | In a recent interview, DAP supremo Anthony Loke presented the base and the media with a false premise.

From reportage - “Withdrawing from the Pakatan Harapan pact would mean falling into the trap set by political opponents who ‘do not want the DAP in government’, said Loke, 49, who is also transport minister.”

Kajang pigeon : Anthony Loke leads a party that many supporters once saw as fearless. These days, critics joke that DAP spends more being a doormat, a lap dog or a flower pot the dog just did it's business at. 

The biggest political magic trick wasn't making UMNO relevant again, it was convincing DAP supporters that finishing with far more seats somehow translated into looking like the dim witted partner at the table. As for Anwar and his spineless ways, they now no they weren't backing a winning horse, but a stubborn donkey. 

Still they aren't able to negotiate a better place in this half baked govt. Politics isn't about who smiles the widest at press conferences. It's about who walks away with the leverage. On that score, many observers argue UMNO has consistently punched well above its electoral weight.

drngsc : Dear A Loke, can you please list down what DAP has done for their supporters in the last 3 1/2 years? To fulfil their manifestos ( their promises to their supporters? What has the DAP done If almost nil, then why should we vote for you again? 

Show us what you have done? We note that you have become MCA 2.0. We are concerned. Leave and begin again to fight for us. When we can see that, we will support you again to return to you previous position. Coalition politics is not just being yes men to support traitors.

For a Better World : A powerful , well- articulated criticism of DAP by Thayaparan . I absolutely agree with his arguments and this party is now led by persons without a deep understanding of Malaysian politics, lack proper direction and seem to support Madani solely due to their positions in government, as ministers, top officials in various agencies etc etc. 

A substantial number of Malaysians are openly commenting that it has lost its marb....s The worst spiteful issue is ,one party in the coalition ie in the UG , openly cavorting and standing together, with one Opposition party that's hell- bent on causing the destruction of DAP. 

I have voted for the DAP from 1969 , ie the year I turned 21 and in the last GE 15, voted for the lady who is now a minister . If the present mess political intrigue and nonsensical approach persists, I may shift my allegiance to another party or not vote at all

Speaking recently at a rally in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan, he reportedly stated: “The Malays have no other land. Malays only have this Tanah Melayu. Indians have India, Chinese have China, Cambodians have Cambodia, and the Siamese have Thailand. Where do the Malays go? Malays are only here.”

To complicate matters further, about a week earlier, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang apparently described DAP supporters as “pendatang” (immigrants).

Optimus : Si lebai Hadi and pea brain Sanusi lack the English proficiency level to understand this article, and both wouldn't care anyway.

AyuhMy : The orang asli are the original inhabitants and people of this land. Everyone else are pendatangs..! Sansu! and Hod! should take note of that. Dont forget who are those that made the orang asli as hamba abdi.

JKT : If you go to Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu....you will find a Gurkha graveyard. These guys died in WW2 trying to defend Malaya when the Japs invaded, landing at Kota Baru. Did the Kelantanese fight back or they helped the Japs. 

Hundreds of Gurkhas died during the Communist emergency and and again during Soekarno's konfrontasi. They are all buried in graveyards at Tambun, Seremban and Kluang. You can find Australian and British graveyards in Labuan, Taiping and Terendak. 

All died fighting the same wars. Did PAS members fight in any of these wars. The Gurkhas were not even pendatangs...but they gave their lives for this country. The malays of this country need to be grateful. Freedom came at a heavy cost. And that cost was not entirely paid with malay blood.

Mazhilamani : How did a Malay population of 3.1 million in 1957 become close to 20million today? Almost seven times more over a period of 70year or an increase of 3million every decade. If it has little to do with productivity prowess than from where were the others coming from. 

It is like asking how did our national football team become so white displacing even our local Malays. Has anyone truly made a study of what percentage of Malays belong to the rich man bracket, mid level and at poverty level and below poverty level. The outcome of the study may surprise many. 

Also how the top category of Malays suddenly become rich and their linkage, even the Malays will be surprised. There was definitely a free flow of Indonesians over the last 70years and freely given the status of Bumiputera and Ke-tuanan to expand the population but the Malay political base. This cannot be denied. 

The man instrumental for this is an ancient being. Historically anyone born in Malaysia after Independence or is in possession of a Malaysian Citizenship is a Malaysian. You know why this narrative is a serialised continuous episode, for the people in high positions and authority don't want to address this sensitive issue properly. 

Instead some add to the murky sutuation with their misplaced or uninvited comments. People like Sanusi must be charged for sedition. What if he is a MB.

Ketuanan breeds Corruption and Incompetence : Well written But you missed out one key point. Sanusi's own pathernal grandfather was an ethnic Chinese from China. His grandfather was born in China, and his descendant - Sanusi - became Malaysian. 

That is precisely the same as how millions of ethnic Chinese and Indians became Malaysians too. In fact, if not for a Chinese "pendatang" coming to Malaysia, Sanusi would not be a a Malaysian - Sanusi would not even exist. 

He owes his existence to a Chinese man...to a "pendatang". Sanusi's very existence, the blood in his veins, is an example of how millions of Chinese and Indians and their descendants have come to regard Malaysia as their tanahair. 

Sanusi implies that the descendants of Chinese and Indian immigrants are not "true" Malaysians, and they can always return to their "homelands" of China or India. Well, guess who is a descendant of a Chinese immigrant? Look in the mirror Sanusi. 

Collaborator

Veteran 1972 : Malays themselves became traitors, joining the Japanese, to kill Malayans. Fact and proof is your Tun Abdul Razak. I say Malayans, as there was no Malaysia during that period, only "Orang Malaya".