COMMENT | What's happened to the mouthpieces who used to declare that "Our party is the only one which will protect the Malays and defend Islam"? Why have these loud boasts suddenly gone quiet?

Even more ironic is that today, the Malays are more divided than ever and the nationalists feel more insecure. All this is happening during the tenure of the "I am Malay first" Muhyiddin Yassin, who leads the Malay majority government.

Many Malay politicians refuse to come down from their ivory tower and only venture into the real world, once every five years, or when a by-election is due. Most probably, they feel that party matters are important, whereas the rakyat's needs are not.

Across Malaysia, many Malays are shocked and disillusioned, that some Malay leaders in positions of power are undermining them.

They are angry when a Malay who asks probing questions is treated with hostility and humiliated. They are furious that a Malay who questions a leader's conduct, is himself scrutinised and punished.

The nation is at breaking point economically, morally and socially. We are entering a dangerous phase and although we realise the dangers posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the bigger threat to Malaysia is more insidious. It is tribalism at its worst. Tribal needs take precedence over the good of the nation.

The common factor among the members of the larger tribe (Umno-Baru, PN, Bersatu, PAS) is that they are made up of Malays (or pseudo-Malays). There is naked competition to fight for their tribal needs. There is furious determination to make their tribe dominant...