FEDERAL Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh might rubbish the claim that “there are only eight non-Malay staff” – seven Indians and one Chinese – among the 10,000 employees under the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) payroll.
Yet she was not embarrassed in the least to disclose the actual figures of non-Malay employment in DBKL.
She confirmed that out of DBKL’s total workforce of 9,131 as of July 1, 490 are Indians and 22 are Chinese.
Furthermore, she revealed that within DBKL’s management, there are 10 Indians and two Chinese.
In percentage terms, Indian employees make up around 5.37% of DBKL’s workforce while Chinese employees account for only 0.24%.
Since there is no information on the total number of personnel in the management category, it is not possible to calculate the percentage of non-Malay employees at that level.
It can be taken for granted that most of the non-Malay employees, especially Indians, in DBKL are in the rank-and-file category.
It goes without saying that the vast majority of employees, both in the management and rank-and-file categories, are Malays.
Quest to correct balance
The employment pattern of non-Malays in DBKL mirrors the broader ethnic composition of the country’s civil service.
More than 90% of civil servants are Malays while the presence of non-Malays in the civil service continues to shrink.
The Segambut MP might have corrected the absurd claim that there are only eight non-Malay employees in DBK but by revealing the actual ethnic composition of its workforce – one that is heavily skewed in favour of Malays – she has inadvertently opened a controversial and politically combustible Pandora’s Box.
The question is what is she going to do about correcting the ethnic imbalance in DBKL that militates against non-Malay employment?
She did mention that she has asked for a review of the recruitment process in DBKL with the intention of addressing the one-sided nature of employment.
Yeoh might have good intentions in improving the ethnic imbalance in DBKL’s workforce but I seriously doubt that she has the political courage to venture into this highly combustible territory.
Even DAP leaders might not welcome the party’s national deputy secretary-general raising the question of non-Malay employment in DBKL. – July 22, 2026
Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
