Former Deputy National Unity Minister Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker has dismissed Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar’s claim that only UMNO is capable of safeguarding Malay interests, describing the narrative as outdated and no longer relevant in today’s political landscape.
Responding to Khairy’s remarks ahead of the upcoming state elections, Ti argued that such messaging may have resonated during the 1960s and 1970s when many Malays faced economic hardship and political uncertainty. However, he said Malaysia has changed significantly over the past six decades, with a more politically mature society, a growing Malay middle class and constitutional safeguards that remain firmly in place.
In a statement on Monday, the former MCA vice-president said UMNO’s increasing dominance in politics and government eventually led to the concentration of power, which he claimed was accompanied by abuse of authority, patronage and corruption. According to him, these issues contributed to the erosion of public confidence in both UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN).
Ti was responding to Khairy’s comments on Sunday, in which the former UMNO Youth chief said only BN could effectively defend Malay interests, claiming this had not been achieved under Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun’s administration in Negeri Sembilan. Khairy also urged Malay-Muslim voters in the state to return their support to BN in the coming state election, arguing that the presence of 14 UMNO assemblymen in the previous state government had benefited the Malay and Muslim community.
While Khairy stressed that he was not attempting to incite racial sentiments, he maintained that representatives from other ethnic communities would naturally prioritise the interests of their own constituents. Ti, however, countered that BN’s long-standing success as one of the world’s longest-serving democratically elected governing coalitions was built on consensus, moderation, tolerance and unity in diversity—not racial rhetoric.
He further claimed that UMNO gradually drifted away from its moderate approach by embracing more exclusive political narratives, citing the controversial “keris” symbolism as one example. According to Ti, this shift alienated communities that had long formed BN’s traditional support base, leading to declining confidence among non-Malay voters and weakening the coalition’s multiracial appeal.
Ti also argued that race-based political messaging failed to significantly strengthen UMNO’s support among Malays while accelerating the loss of backing from Chinese, Indian and other communities. From a political perspective, he said, the strategy carried a heavy cost without delivering proportional electoral gains.
On the issue of corruption, Ti rejected the notion that it emerged only during the administration of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. He said allegations of corruption had existed for decades, including during the leadership of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but became a sustained political campaign during the administrations of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib, ultimately contributing to BN’s defeat. He pointed to Pakatan’s successful branding of the slogan “BN” as “Be End” as an example of how the coalition’s image deteriorated among voters.
Ti also warned against portraying every election as a referendum on the constitutional position of the Malays. He stressed that the special position of the Malays, Islam as the religion of the Federation, the Malay language, the sovereignty of the Malay Rulers and the legitimate interests of Sabah and Sarawak are firmly protected under the Federal Constitution and do not depend on the fortunes of any political party.
Ironically, he claimed that the most significant reduction in the constitutional powers of the Malay Rulers did not occur under Pakatan Harapan (PH), but during the height of UMNO’s political dominance under Dr Mahathir’s administration, when constitutional amendments redefined the powers and legal status of the Malay Rulers.
Concluding his remarks, Ti said Malaysia should move towards a more mature political discourse. While competing for Malay support is a legitimate part of democracy, he argued that using constitutional anxieties as a political weapon and portraying UMNO as the sole guardian of Malay rights is neither historically accurate nor supported by constitutional principles. Instead, he said the real challenges facing Malays today include corruption, abuse of power, weak governance, declining education standards, rising living costs and economic competitiveness.
