COMMENT | The main obstacle to a modern, progressive Malaysia is not the rural Malay, but the educated, well-travelled, English-speaking urban Malay, who controls a government department, a GLC, a bank or a business.

We're not talking about the ordinary pak cik managing his stall in a warung, but the Malay taiko who owns franchises, or multi-million ringgit companies, or markets luxury foreign brands.

These Malays wield power and influence. Some are decision-makers in government. The rural Malay is too busy trying to make ends meet. He has no control over policymaking.

When you attend talks about rule of law, democratic values and good governance, the number of Malays present can be counted on one hand.

If you had been to the Negara Ku event in Ipoh in 2014, which was launched by lawyer and social activist Haris Ibrahim, Clare Rewcastle-Brown’s book launch at Tower Regency Hotel, in 2018, the Ipoh launch of Maju in 2020, you would have noticed that few Malays were present. One could argue that Ipoh is Chinese-dominated.

At many talks by Bersih or Opposition politicians that were held overseas, the Malays comprised only three percent of the total audience...