Amin Abdul Mem leaves PKR after 27 years with the party.
Amin Abdul Mem, who was also Semporna PKR chief, called on his friends who remain in Sabah PKR to respect each other’s political stands and maintain their friendship. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA: Sabah PKR vice-chairman Amin Abdul Mem has resigned as a party member, becoming the latest figure in the state chapter to exit the party.
As a result, Amin relinquishes his state post as well as his position as Semporna PKR chief after 27 years with the party.
In a statement, he cited former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli’s departure from the party to take over Parti Bersama Malaysia.
“I am very thankful for all that I have experienced in my journey with PKR. Thank you to all my reformist comrades, especially those who were involved in paving the way for me to climb up the leadership ladder.
“To the Sabah PKR chief (Mustapha Sakmud), thank you for your support and cooperation throughout my time in the state leadership. I deeply appreciate it.
“To my friends who remain in Sabah PKR, let us respect our respective political stands and maintain our friendship,” he said.
On Monday, Tuaran PKR chief Razeef Rakimin quit the party, followed by Sabah PKR women’s deputy chief Artini Ali Taugan two days ago. - FMT
Among others, RSN Rayer says the statements implied he had stolen the Penang Hindu Endowments Board's funds.
The sessions court also awarded Jelutong MP RSN Rayer RM4,000 in costs. (Bernama pic)
GEORGE TOWN: Jelutong MP RSN Rayer has been awarded RM100,000 in damages after winning a defamation suit against a social media user over videos published online in 2024.
Rayer’s lawyer K Kumarathiraviam said sessions court judge Norsalha Hamzah also ordered S Murugesan, 50, to pay the DAP MP RM4,000 in costs.
Rayer sued Murugesan over several videos released in September 2024 on WhatsApp, TikTok and Facebook.
The two-term MP said the videos were defamatory and had damaged his reputation as a lawyer, elected representative, DAP leader and the Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB) chairman.
Rayer said the statements made by Murugesan in the videos were widely viewed and drew many comments, tarnishing his reputation and good name.
Among others, he said the statements implied he had stolen PHEB funds and was planning to steal or misuse more money.
Rayer had also lodged a police report over the matter on Nov 24, 2024. - FMT
WHEN the Sultan of Selangor recently spoke about Malay unity while also reminding Malaysians to respect other communities, it reflected a broader tension the country has wrestled with for decades: how to balance ethnic identity with national belonging.
The question is uncomfortable but necessary. Are we building one nation, or simply managing different communities living alongside each other under a single flag?
For more than half a century, Malaysians have been encouraged to speak the language of unity. Yet in practice, many aspects of public life remain organised along racial lines.
Politics, education, economic policy and even everyday discourse often reflect these divisions, creating a gap between rhetoric and reality.
The result is a country that appears united on the surface but remains fragmented underneath.
The result is a country that appears united on the surface but remains fragmented underneath.
There is also a persistent irony. Each community is repeatedly told, in different ways, to stay cohesive for its own protection or advancement. Malays are urged to unite for political strength, Chinese communities for economic security, and Indian communities for cultural preservation.
But if every group turns inward, the question remains: who is building Malaysia as a shared project?
This does not mean ethnic concerns are imaginary. Historical experience matters. The Malay community, in particular, carries real memories of colonialism, economic inequality and political vulnerability. These anxieties shape contemporary expectations and cannot be dismissed lightly.
But there is also a broader truth that cannot be ignored. A nation that operates primarily through ethnic insecurity risks long-term stagnation—socially, economically and institutionally.
In reality, ordinary Malaysians often demonstrate far more unity than political discourse suggests. In workplaces, hospitals, schools and disaster relief situations, cooperation across communities is common and instinctive. The divisions become more visible in politics, where identity remains an effective tool for mobilisation.
This creates a cycle: racial narratives fuel political support, which reinforces suspicion, which in turn justifies further reliance on identity-based politics.
Younger Malaysians increasingly appear fatigued by this dynamic. Many are less convinced that race-based politics offers protection or progress.
Instead, they see persistent challenges—corruption, institutional weakness, economic pressure and talent outflow—through a lens that identity politics does not adequately address.
Malaysia’s challenge today is not simply inter-ethnic competition. It is the risk of internal fragmentation at a time when global pressures—from economic shifts to technological disruption—demand greater cohesion and institutional trust.
No country is likely to succeed in the coming decades if it remains locked in permanent identity contestation.
This does not require the erasure of ethnic identity. Malaysia’s diversity is real, lived, and valuable. But identity must evolve from a protective instinct into a shared national framework.
Malay unity should strengthen national unity, not exist apart from it. Chinese and Indian aspirations should be seen as part of the national story, not separate from it.
The responsibility is shared. Malay leaders must be open to criticism without interpreting it as an attack on identity. Non-Malay communities
Religious and political leaders alike must avoid exploiting identity for short-term gain. Citizens, too, must resist the pull of communal suspicion.
The Rukun Negara cannot remain a ceremonial slogan while trust erodes in daily life. If Malaysians continue to see each other primarily through ethnic categories, unity will remain aspirational rather than real.
As the Sultan of Selangor has previously reflected in reference to historical empires, stability has often depended not merely on coexistence, but on a unifying idea that binds diverse communities together. Malaysia’s task is to articulate and sustain that shared idea in a contemporary form.
Economic growth alone will not create national cohesion. Nor will slogans or enforced silence. What is required is a consistent commitment to fairness, mutual respect and a shared future.
The question for Malaysia is not whether each community can unite within itself. It is whether all communities can move beyond parallel identities and genuinely build a nation together—before fragmentation becomes the default condition rather than the exception.
KT Maran is a Focus Malaysia viewer.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
