Race-based politics will always be relevant in Malaysia as long as its institutions have not been reformed, said Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia pro-tem committee member Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman.

As long as the media is controlled by the government and the police don’t act against racial extremists, Syed Saddiq said, the government will be able to divert attention from its political scandals by stoking racial sentiments.

“If there is widespread corruption, it can easily be covered up through racism. All these become relevant, because they can hide behind racist sentiments,” Syed Saddiq told a forum last night.