In Malaysia, study on elected Kuala Lumpur mayor triggers another race debate

2026-02-05 - 07:57

The Malaysian government’s proposed study on whether Kuala Lumpur should elect its mayor instead of being appointed has detonated into what observers call a familiar “cultural war” over race, power and who gets to run the nation’s capital. The feasibility study announced by Hannah Yeoh, a minister from the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party, has also drawn criticism that the exercise is a political project pushed by her party. Findings of the study by the International Islamic University...