Malays largely united, politicians to blame for division, says Amanah man

2026-03-06 - 07:13

Amanah’s Zamir Ghazali (centre, front row) said variety does not necessarily spell disunity. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA: An Amanah leader believes that the Malays are actually a united community, but says politicians riding on racial sentiments are typically to blame for dividing the people. Amanah central committee member Zamir Ghazali pointed out that Malays across the country were generally united, with no enmity between those from different states towards others. He said being a Muslim was a requirement for the Malays, and Islam was a uniting factor for the community in Malaysia. “This means we Malays are actually united. So what aspect of Malay unity are we trying to remedy? It’s our politicians who need to be remedied. “It’s the political leaders who mobilise political sentiments that spook the Malays. As politicians, we often spread the notion that the Malays aren’t united. This is the real tumour within Malay society. “So the best remedy to uniting the Malays in this area is for us politicians to stop riding on racial and religious sentiments. Let’s go back to values-based politics,” he said in a Facebook post. Zamir was among the Amanah representatives who attended a cross-party meeting to discuss issues involving the Malays with seven other political parties, including Umno, PAS, PKR and Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah. He said Malay politicians needed to shift their political narratives to good values and ideas that would help the Malays progress. Hence, the political battle should not centre on exclusivity or “who is more Malay”. He said this was evident in the various Malay-based professional institutions, including trade groups like the Malay Businessmen and Industrialists Association of Malaysia (Perdasama), the Bumiputera Contractors Association of Malaysia, and the Malay Chamber of Commerce. He also pointed to the various Malay cooperatives, saying variety did not necessarily spell disunity. “These organisations are capable of working together while competing with one another for the community’s benefit. There have never been calls for all Malays to sit under one chamber of commerce. “So it’s simple: we Malay politicians need to change. Let’s look for new, progressive ideas to develop the mind and establish a fresh political culture, instead of looking for who’s the better Muslim or the better Malay,” he said.