PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the Malays will only unite when confronted with a common threat, citing the community’s strong opposition to the Malayan Union as an example of how they once rallied around a shared objective.
He said the Malays had not united previously, having established several small and independent states which were ruled separately.
“There was no protest when the British ceded four Malay states to Thailand, even though they were historically Malay territories,” he told FMT in an interview.
Mahathir was referring to the loss of Patani, Singgora, Menara and Yala—now part of Thailand—which were ceded by the British to Bangkok in 1909.
The longtime prime minister said it was only when the British proposed to form the Malayan Union by seizing all Malay states that a common threat arose—the fear of continued British dominance.
“Only then did they seek ways to strengthen themselves by uniting.
“We Malays will only unite if we have a common objective. We cannot be united if we have multiple parties, each with its own objectives,” he said.
Mahathir, who served as prime minister under Barisan Nasional from 1981-2003 and again in 2018-2020 under Pakatan Harapan, said Malays cannot achieve unity from within the confines of their respective political parties.
“Political parties only result in someone becoming prime minister, someone else making certain policies—Malays cannot achieve unity in that way,” he said.
He said the Malays have failed to live up to the time-honoured proverb “bersatu teguh, bercerai roboh” (united we stand, divided we fall), adding that politics has instead divided the race.
Mahathir said if faced with a common threat, the Malays would not allow their political parties to sow division within the community.
“If the Malays are defeated, their parties will also be defeated,” he said.
