KL is a Malay-majority city that needs elections

 

Will elections in Kuala Lumpur harm the Malays? But how can that be possible when they are already the majority in the city?

The government’s own numbers from 2020 show that KL has 47.7 percent bumiputera, 41.6 percent Chinese and 10 percent Indians.

That was six years ago. By now, the bumiputera population should probably be over 50 percent, due to their higher birth rate and migration from other states, while many Chinese have gone overseas.

The government can build more affordable housing to pull even more Malays into the city.

Yet, as Malaysiakini reported, “Umno leaders are foaming at the mouth” over the mere proposal by the Federal Territories (FT) Department to study the feasibility of holding a mayoral election in KL.

Now, why would Umno want to deny the Malay majority of KL from being able to elect their own capable mayor?

Are they really defending “Malay rights”? Or are they defending their right to “influence” lucrative projects in this rich city?

When New York and London had Muslims campaigning to become mayor, some white people said they were unacceptable due to their religion.

If Muslims in Malaysia don’t like Islamophobia overseas, why practice Cina-phobia when we want to have an open contest for KL mayor?

Abuse of power?

Let’s look back at what happened when Umno was in charge of KL. In Dec 2020, former FT minister Tengku Adnan Mansor, or Ku Nan, was found guilty of corruption for accepting RM2 million from a property developer.

But in July 2021, the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction by saying it was a “political donation”.

Ironically, the whole 1MDB saga was also claimed to be for “political donations”. In Nov 2021, the attorney-general decided to drop Tengku Adnan’s case.

Tengku Adnan Mansor

Was it a coincidence that this happened after the Sheraton Move of Feb 2020, when Malay parties - Umno, PAS, and Bersatu - were in total control of KL? 

The usual emotional term used is that Malay rights will be “tergadai” (sold off) if a non-Malay takes charge of KL.

In October 2025, former federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa accused her Umno predecessor, Annuar Musa, of a “rushed” decision to allow a developer to take ownership of Kampung Sungai Baru before the new rules of a minimum 50 percent consent under the KL Redevelopment Guidelines took effect.

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This area is sandwiched between KLCC and Kampung Baru, a Malay reserve area, which is a sensitive political issue. 

Zaliha lamented that any re-gazetting of Kampung Sungai Baru as a Malay reserve would now require the consent of the new landowners.

Houses in Kampung Sungai Baru being demolished on Sept 12, 2025

So why did an FT minister from Umno allow such kampung land to be developed for a hefty profit?

KL has so many projects going on, and we can only guess at what “favours” are given for the approval of hyper high-density condos and the conversion of flood-control ponds into housing.

This is why it’s essential for KL to have an elected mayor who can run the place honestly and transparently. 

This fulfils Pakatan Harapan’s 2022 election manifesto to “empower democracy and transparency in DBKL” to reflect “the interests of the people, not developers”.

It’s a “long-overdue reform” to curb the “concentration of power” in the KL mayor, who is a civil servant appointed by the federal government.

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, the MP for Setiawangsa in KL, lamented that the loss of green lungs, overdevelopment, poor planning controls and lack of affordable housing are arguably the result of the city being run with its residents having little, if any, say in its governance.

Even former Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin supports city elections, saying there is “something fundamentally wrong” if government officers are not held accountable to the rakyat.

Is Umno saying that it prefers the old way, where developers give “political donations” to unelected leaders?

Having a well-run city, instead of one that gets flash floods and jams up every darn time it rains heavily, will benefit all races - Malays, Chinese, Indians, and foreign residents. 

Abang Belon case 

If there’s any further doubt, remember Abang Belon, the balloon vendor who was allegedly roughed up by several KL City Hall (DBKL) enforcement officers until his spine was injured.

The officers seemed so aggressive that a bystander was heard in a viral video shouting repeatedly, “Jangan macam ini bang! (Don’t be so extreme!)” as Abang Belon or Za’imuddin Azlan was wrestled to the ground.

There was an outcry from the public, especially Malays, who felt that some DBKL officers had become too “sombong” (arrogant) with little checks on their power.

With Hannah Yeoh appointed as the first Chinese federal territories minister, she has just announced that DBKL officers will start using body cameras by late 2026, to curb corruption during field operations.

Obviously, bodycams will help prevent another balloon vendor from getting whacked. Doesn’t that benefit all vendors, especially the Malays?

Of course, laws on hawkers must be enforced, but with bodycams, it’s easier to track what the officers are doing.

Ramadan bazaar exploitation 

But what has happened in the past is that some “agents” have used connections to sublet Ramadan bazaar stalls for huge sums.

Yeoh wants to stop that, as reported by the New Straits Times, saying DBKL will intensify enforcement to prevent intermediaries from exploiting Ramadan bazaar lots to make “excessive profit”.

To maintain the quality and pricing of food sold at Ramadan bazaars, DBKL and officials from two other ministries will conduct daily inspections throughout the fasting month.

Lower prices and better quality for the holy month, isn’t that good for the Malays?

Or is Umno claiming that such moves to curb cronies’ profits are a “threat” to ordinary, hardworking Malays running Ramadan bazaar stalls?

Curbing DBKL corruption 

Yeoh has invited the MACC to do a “strategic cooperation” with DBKL to curb corruption.

Job rotations will be more frequent in “sensitive units” to prevent “overly close” relationships forming between officers and the people they are monitoring.

Yeoh added that procurement will be further cleaned up through transparent online quotation processes. In other words, please stop the under-the-table stuff.

Hannah Yeoh (centre)

The Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, said corruption is the “foremost enemy” of the nation’s future.

If a Chinese federal territories minister or a future elected mayor (of any race) can reduce bribery and run KL better, that in itself is helping the people of KL, especially the Malay majority.

So why is Umno kicking up such a hate campaign? It’s time for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to step in to inject rational, indeed “civilised” or “Madani” discussions on this topic, rather than the rabid racism we see online.

It’s not about race, but getting the job done properly to benefit all city folks, not just the elites. - Mkini

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ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.