SUCH is the clarion call by an apparent rightist who pointed to the 2025 census by the National Statistics Department which shows that the Penang Bumiputera population has for the first time in history emerged the majority race with 46.2% (750,000 individuals) vs the Chinese at 43.7% (709.000).
Indians make up 9.5% of Penang’s population with 154,000 inhabitants with other races at 0.6% (10,000). All-in-all, the state’s population stood at 1.803 million in 2025 with 1.623 million being Malaysian citizens and 180,000 non-citizens.
“The latest data shows that the Bumiputera population INCLUDING Malays is the current majority population in Penang,” revealed an elated OK Media in a recent Facebook post.
It’s time for the Chief Minister (CM) to be represented by the original population and from the majority race. Give a shout out, Penangites, if you want a CM from the majority (race).
This is also part of the efforts to combat the absurd land tax (quit rent) by the current CM (Chow Kon Yeow) which is seemingly a ploy to seize land owned by the INDIGENOUS RAKYAT by force.
Editor’s Note: DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng has engaged in war of words with the current Penang state government over excessive land tax (quit rent) hikes that have surged by hundreds or thousands of times for rural villagers and low-cost strata flat owners.
Under the Penang State Land Rules, land taxes for many residential and rural kampung properties saw astronomical percentage increases. In some extreme cases, taxes surged from around RM10 to more than RM34,000.
Changing course of history?
While the poster eventually exposed his opposition slant by rallying to topple the ruling DAP state government which has raised quit rent rate “from RM16 to thousands/tens of thousands”, he did leave behind food for thought in the wake of opposition influence in mainland Penang despite the recent PAS-Bersatu break-up.
For the record, every Penang Chief Minister has been of Chinese descent since Malaysia’s independence in 1957 although they represent different political coalitions:
- Wong Pow Nee (1957-1969) – Alliance
- Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu (1969-1990) – Gerakan/Alliance/Barisan Nasional (BN)
- Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon (1990 -2008) – Gerakan/BN
- Lim Guan Eng (2008-2018) – DAP/Pakatan Rakyat (PH)
- Chow Kon Yeow (2018- Present) – DAP/PH
Whether Penang should have a Malay CM is a subject of on-going political and constitutional debate with varying perspectives on race, representation and meritocracy.
But unlike sultanate states that have specific constitutional requirements mandating a Malay-Muslim Menteri Besar, the Penang State Constitution does not specify the ethnicity of the CM. It only requires that the leader command the confidence of the majority in the state assembly.
Although Penang bears the uniqueness of being the only state headed by a non-Malay on the basis of the Chinese form a plurality of the state’s population, it is true that this privilege should never be taken for granted.
Although the PAS threat is real, the Islamist party nevertheless faces major demographic and political hurdles given its power base is largely concentrated in what is dubbed “the Malay hinterlands”.
Despite making an unprecedented inroad with 11 seats in 40-seat Penang state assembly in the 2023 state polls, Penang remains a steep hill to climb for PAS due to several factors:
Need for coalition partner: PAS cannot win on its own. To capture Penang, it must form a coalition and rely on non-Malay allies (ie Gerakan) to win in mixed or urban seats.
Lack of non-Malay support: The non-Muslim electorate (Chinese and Indian voters who form a massive voting bloc) overwhelmingly rejects PAS’s conservative political and religious policies. On the contrary, most non-Malay Penangites are often DAP loyalists.
Urban and cosmopolitan culture: Penang’s economy relies heavily on tourism, international trade and foreign direct investment. With PAS’s exclusivist, religious messaging tending to alienate the business community, PAS is very unlikely to get the mandate to rule Penang. – June 10, 2026
