As my parents’ generation grows older, the kampung of young Malays are more often than not Kampung Tunku or Kampung Baru. Fast-forward to today and preying on the anxieties of KL Malays is still addictive politics. There were not enough houses to cater to this burgeoning number of new city residents. Moreover, in 2018, a Unicef study on children in low-cost flats in KL (where residents are predominantly Malay, with significant Indian and Chinese populations) revealed that the group remains well behind its peers in the rest of KL in terms of being underweight (15%, almost double the KL average); stunted (22%, double the KL average); and obese (23%, almost six times the KL average). Surely the time has come for KL Malays (bumiputeras make up 47.7% of the capital’s residents) and their fellow city residents to have a say in the running of their city.

Source: The Edge Markets February 27, 2026 16:06 UTC