Former deputy unity minister Ti Lian Ker has slammed Mahathir Mohamad for claiming Umno united all Malays under his leadership, branding the statement “disingenuous” and rooted in selective memory.
Ti accused Mahathir of fuelling Malay divisions throughout his 22 years as Umno president and prime minister, and beyond.
He rejected Mahathir’s view that fragmentation started only after his 2003 retirement.
Divisions emerged far earlier, Ti said, citing the late 1980s split into “Team A” and “Team B”.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah challenged Mahathir for the presidency in 1987.
The rift deepened when Tengku Razaleigh’s allies were sacked from Cabinet and quit Umno to launch Semangat 46.
Ti called the 1998 dismissal of deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim the deepest blow to Malay unity.
Mahathir’s post-retirement moves widened the gaps further.
He founded Bersatu to oust Najib Razak.
Later, after clashing with Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin over the Sheraton Move—which toppled the Pakatan Harapan government—Mahathir started Pejuang.
“What Mahathir is peddling is revisionist history. The Malay divide or split did not begin after Mahathir stepped down,” Ti told FMT.
“It began when he was in power for the first time and continued long after he stepped down.”
These actions rippled into race relations.
Rival Malay parties escalated racial and religious rhetoric to capture the splintered voter base.
This sharpened polarisation and chipped away at trust between Malays and non-Malays.
Ti found it ironic that Mahathir now preaches Malay unity.
The public must study his track record and reject distorted tales, he urged.
“There needs to be some sort of reflection on the community’s part. We need to confront the truth and call out the lies and state the truths to avoid being misled or becoming more right wing.”
