When discussing Malaysian politics, there is a tendency by many to look at “The Malays” as a singular block. On the one hand, there is a penchant for some to blame “The Malays” for our nation’s 99 problems. On the other hand, Malay political elites tend to propagate a narrative in which “The Malays” were “united” across racial lines once upon a time and so, there is a need to reunite the Malays once more. 

But are the Malays a monolith? Have they ever been?

Producer's note: A couple of factual errors were made in the conversation -

• Concerning May 13, MCA was cited when it should've been Gerakan.

• The Memali incident took place in the 80s, not 50s.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Dashran Yohan

Presented by: Dashran Yohan

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Categories:  politics,  government,  Law/Activism

Tags:  islamicism,  the bigger picture,  beyond the ballot box,  socialism,  capitalism,  ethnonationalism,  islam,  colonialism,  new economic policy,  reformasi,