Khaled: Obsolete thinking among certain Malay leaders a greater threat to community
KUALA LUMPUR: Outdated, backward and obsolete thinking among certain Malay leaders poses the greatest threat to the community, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
He said many of these leaders failed to recognise that Generations X, Y, Z and Alpha were no longer easily swayed by emotional politics used merely as a means to gain power.
"We need to practise politics that are rational and grounded in the best values. Sentimentalism will not help us win in the arenas of technology, tariffs, the advancement of knowledge or the future business world.
"The Malays must possess strong competitiveness, knowledge and superior skills. Only then can we become a great and respected nation," he said, in response to the formation of a new movement to unite the Malay community under a single umbrella by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Khaled also said the rights and interests of the Malays remained secure.
"No one will ever infringe upon the rights and interests of our people. These have long been enshrined in the Federal Constitution and safeguarded by our wise Malay rulers," he added.
Yesterday, Mahathir said the formation of the movement was not about politics but a collective response to what he described as the growing challenges faced by the Malays.
He said the secretariat aimed to unify Malays across political lines under a single movement, noting that fragmented efforts had only led to division and weakness.
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Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Dr M's latest ‘Malay unity' effort also bound to fizzle out, say analysts
On Wednesday, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched the Malay secretariat committee, intended as an umbrella body to unite all Malays and restore their political power. PETALING JAYA : Two analysts have poured cold water on Dr Mahathir Mohamad's latest effort to unite the Malays and restore their political power, expecting it to fizzle out like the former prime minister's other initiatives. Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's Mazlan Ali said Mahathir's previous initiatives, namely the formation of Pejuang and the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) coalition, have both failed. Neither pundit believes this proposed new movement will gain traction, saying that most Malays will see it as just another political ploy, especially given that both PAS and Bersatu have offered Mahathir their backing. Azmi said Mahathir may be seeking to replicate the success of Muafakat Nasional (MN), the now defunct Umno-PAS pact, which, at its highest point, led a protest attended by more than 55,000 Malays against the then Pakatan Harapan government in 2018. Azmi Hassan. However, he said Mahathir's proposed 'Malay secretariat committee' would not work without Umno's involvement. This is why Mahathir was courting Umno members without inviting the party to join as a whole, Azmi added. 'The reason MN enjoyed a short period of success in the past was because the Malays at that particular time saw a threat in the PH government. Ironically, Mahathir was the prime minister then. 'When there is a threat to the Malays, they will join forces, as seen during the 2018 protest. But right now there is no such urgency, especially for Umno members, to be part of Mahathir's current effort,' Azmi told FMT. Mazlan said Mahathir's Perikatan Nasional-backed Malay secretariat was likely a political strategy ahead of the next general election (GE16) but is unlikely to bear fruit. Mazlan Ali. 'I don't see Mahathir as having the gravitas to unite the Malays, because many of his actions seem inconsistent, so the people don't really believe him. 'People will just see it as a political agenda, not an agenda to unite the Malays. A genuine agenda to unite the Malays must be non-partisan.' He added that not all members of the community believed in the idea of restoring Malay political power, saying Malaysia's multiracial environment meant that political cooperation across all races was a necessity. Mahathir launched his new Malay unity alliance on Wednesday. The longtime former Umno president, who later led Bersatu, Pejuang and GTA, said the alliance would not be a formal political party for now but a loose coalition to gather the Malays under one 'big umbrella'. Azmi said the other issue with the 'umbrella' was that it was led by the same old faces — Mahathir, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin, and PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. He preferred former law minister Zaid Ibrahim's proposal of a new movement to unite the Malays led by leaders under the age of 50 with proven success in various fields. 'I think the younger generation needs to be at the forefront, not Mahathir, because Mahathir and his team in the committee have their own political agenda. 'Malay professionals don't have a political agenda, so I think that's the way to do it if we want to gather all the Malays under one roof.'
The Star
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Focus Malaysia
16 hours ago
- Focus Malaysia
No buy-in from Malays to Tun M's Malay unity alliance movement; even Akmal says 'No thanks'
SUCH is the reception that twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad gets after having mooted a movement to unite Malays with Bersatu and PAS in a bid to resolve issues faced by Malays that he alleges the current government has failed to address. A big 'slap in the face' would probably have to be that even the firebrand Malay rights defender in UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has turned down the centenarian's invitation to UMNO members to join his Jawatankuasa Sekretariat Orang Melayu (Malay People's Secretariat Committee). 'But the same people also wanted to ban UMNO when they were in power … Now when they are not in power, the style is different,' he reacted in a Facebook post. 'Thank you, Tun, we appreciate your invitation but we still have not forgotten what happened. If you want to unite this nation, let it come from a sincere heart because you love the religion of the nation, not just want to get a position for yourself.' Although Dr Mahathir claimed that the movement is not politically motivated and will serve as a platform to resolve issues faced by the Malays by grouping them under a payung besar (big umbrella), he did caveat that the ultimate objective can only be achieved if it regain control of the government. Also present at the unveiling of the movement were Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin and vice president Radzi Jidin as well as PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. Opposition-slant UMNO member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim foresees the Malay unity alliance initiative as merely another effort to consolidate Malay political forces which has thus far failed to achieve meaningful electoral success. 'This is unsurprising. Major parties like UMNO and PAS continue to prioritise their own agendas, often at the expense of broader unity,' observed the former de facto law minister on X. Dear Tun Dr Mahathir, You have been relentless in your pursuit of uniting the Malays, and I fully understand your concerns about their future and well-being. Your commitment to the cause is admirable. However, the effort to consolidate Malay political forces has, so far, failed… — Zaid Ibrahim (@zaidibrahim) June 5, 2025 'Bersatu has lost momentum. The anticipated exodus from UMNO never happened and the party now finds itself adrift. While still commanding its loyal base, PAS has not adapted sufficiently to meet the expectations of a more informed and demanding electorate.' Zaid went on to counter propose 'the formation of a leadership cohort: a group of 20 capable Malaysians, preferably under the age of 50 with demonstrated integrity and success in their respective fields – politics, business, academia, civil society and entrepreneurship'. 'This group should be publicly presented as the nucleus of a future national leadership,' he pointed out. 'Crucially, this group must come from a broad and inclusive spectrum. They must not be the usual suspects – party officials with worn-out ideas and questionable reputations – but fresh, untainted voices with the courage to speak and act in the national interest.' The bottom line is not only that man-on-the-street Malays have wised up by not wanting to fall for yet another sinister initiative in the guise of uniting them but even blamed Dr Mahathir for disuniting them at the end of the day: – June 6, 2025 Main image credit: Malay Digest (@malaydigest)/X
