MALAYSIA Day, and our political class is once again consumed by the most important question of all: who gets power?
PAS and UMNO are talking about a one-million-person march to seize power. Anwar, meanwhile, wants to stay in power at whatever cost. Everyone has a plan for Putrajaya. Everyone has a speech. Everyone has an enemy. What seems to be in rather short supply is a plan for the country.
Because outside the political bubble, Malaysians are dealing with something rather less glamorous: the rising cost of living, stagnant incomes, unaffordable housing, an overstretched healthcare system, unequal educational opportunities, insecure work and a widening sense that ordinary people are being asked to survive on less while those in power argue over who gets more of it. The recent revelation about stunted and malnourished children is merely one shocking example of how badly some of our most basic problems are being neglected.
And yet, listen to our politicians. They can speak passionately for hours about race, religion, betrayal, enemies, conspiracies and who is sufficiently Malay, sufficiently Muslim or sufficiently Malaysian. They can mobilise crowds with frightening efficiency. But ask them for durable solutions to poverty, inequality, food insecurity, wages, housing or public services and suddenly the microphones develop a technical problem.
I drove around on the eve of Malaysia Day. There were few flags on homes. Hardly any cars or motorcycles flying the Jalur Gemilang. Very little enthusiasm on the streets. Perhaps Malaysians have simply become cynical. Perhaps after decades of being told that the next government, the next coalition, the next election or the next political bargain will finally transform the country, people have stopped expecting much.
The irony is almost too perfect. Our politicians are fighting to save Malaysia from one another, while Malaysians are struggling to save themselves. They tell us they are fighting for the future of the nation, while many families are worrying about today’s dinner, rent, school expenses, medical bills and whether their salaries will stretch to the end of the month.
Maybe that is what we should reflect on this Malaysia Day. Not who can put a million people on the streets. Not who can shout the loudest. Not who can win the next political game.
But whether we are building a country where people can live with dignity, where children have a fair start, where hard work actually provides security, and where citizenship means something more than being useful at election time. – September 16, 2026
Charles Santiago was a three-term MP for Klang and has also served as the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) Chairman.