Which state/(s) intended by Sultan of Selangor in his pre-Birthday message?

Wong Chun Wai wrote a column on The Star Sunday yesterday entitled "Nation’s needs trump state pride". It was in-sync with this blog's last week analysis on worrying trend of disintegrating Malaysia. 

Chun Wai's was reiterating his article in Bernama on the eve of the Sultan of Selangor's birthday last Thursday. It was a timely reminder from the Sultan after a Sabah state election filled with loud campaign on state rights, Sabah pride and voters put local political parties to both govern and be opposition for the state assembly. 

Many would presume the Sultan's message was directed eastward but those states' rights are clearly spelled out in the Federal Constitution and for six decades denied of their rightful fair share. Wonder if the message was meant for any specific state? 

Chun Wai's original Bernama writing reproduced:   

State rights must not overshadow national interests, says Selangor Sultan

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Malaysia: Worrying trend towards disintegration

A new wave of state-centred narratives is sweeping across Malaysia. 

For years, we have been hearing slogans such as “Sabah for Sabahans”, S4S for its Sarawak equivalent and MA63. Eventually, “Johor for Johorean”, “Selangor First”, and “Penang Rights” will no longer appear as fringe slogans, but increasingly reflect real underlying frustrations. 

At the same time, dissatisfaction with politicians, open criticism of royal behaviour, sectarian labelling within the Muslim community, and intense intra-party conflict are reshaping the country’s political landscape.

These trends might appear disconnected. But viewed together, they signal something deeper: 

Malaysia is entering an era of fragmentation.

This is not mere speculation — earlier this year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) listed political polarization and social fragmentation as among the world’s most serious near-term risks. Many Malaysians are now experiencing exactly these pressures in real time.

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If Johor for Johorean, S'ngor First and Penang Rights wave hit Malaya?

Malaysia stands on the verge of a major shift in the balance of power between its federal centre and constituent states. The momentum behind that shift is powered not just by history or constitutional argument, but by the concrete economic weight carried by a few key states in Peninsular Malaysia. 

As Sabah and Sarawak renew their push for autonomy — reclaiming territory-based rights promised under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement — it becomes ever more striking that states like Johor, Selangor and Penang, which are the economic backbone of the federation could demand for more preposition from their contribution to the nation.  

Their economic performance today offers both a compelling context and a preview of what could happen if Malayan states begin pressing claims for stronger statehood or devolved power.

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Perpetual negotiation, balancing act of a Malaysian PM

The Hollow Crown: Why Malaysia’s Prime Minister Is a Statesman Abroad and a Caretaker at Home

Betty Teh

4 December 2025

Watch Anwar Ibrahim on the ASEAN stage or at the UN: fluent, fearless, a regional elder statesman lecturing superpowers on Gaza or moderation in Islam. 

At home, the same man struggles to pass a budget without begging 40 MPs in five separate WhatsApp groups, cannot fire a single underperforming minister, and spends half his week flying to Kuching or Kota Kinabalu to prevent the government from collapsing before Friday prayers.

This is not a contradiction in personality. The difference is not character; it is structural. 

It is the logical consequence of coalition mathematics.

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The Big Fish are hands behind Albert Tei?

Albert Tei Scandal: Who Is He — Hero, Victim, or the System’s Fall Guy? 

Made in Malaysia, November 30 2025 

Introduction: Why the Albert Tei Scandal Won’t Go Away

The Albert Tei scandal has become one of Malaysia’s most closely watched corruption stories of 2025. 

A businessman from Selangor, previously unknown to most voters, now sits at the centre of a sprawling narrative that stretches from Sabah’s mining licences all the way to the Prime Minister’s Office. 

His story involves alleged bribes to state assemblymen, hidden-camera recordings, a powerful federal political aide, and a legal system that treats him as both whistleblower and accused. 

Some Malaysians see him as a heroic whistleblower who exposed a cosy club of politicians trading licences for cash. 

Others insist he is a willing bribe-giver who blew the whistle only after his deals collapsed. Many more suspect he is actually a fall guy: useful for politicians when they wanted money, and just as useful now as a scapegoat.

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More post-election twist and turn anticipated

If you thought the Sabah state election ended when the results were announced, think again. 

In typical Sabah fashion, the real political drama only began after polling day. The twists and turns that commentators predicted did not just appear — they are multiplying. And if the early signs are correct, Sabahans may be in for a long season of political turbulence.

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Despite no sex scandal, Sabah GE not a quiet one

As Polling Day Looms, Sabah’s Election Dives into the Mud:
From Tei’s Bombshells to Whispered Envelopes

By Betty Teh 

Three days. That’s all that’s left until Sabahans shuffle to the polls on November 29, 2025, to decide the fate of 73 assembly seats and, by extension, a sliver of Putrajaya’s power. 

What started as a contest over MA63 rights and rural roads has devolved into a sewer of accusations, with corruption claims flying thicker than the monsoon clouds over Kota Kinabalu. And at the center of this storm? 

Businessman Albert Tei Abdullah, the self-styled whistleblower whose dossier of dirt has turned the campaign into a demolition derby.

It began in earnest last July, when Tei once accused of being the bribe giver himself, has now flipped the script, unleashing a torrent of allegations against the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government. 

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