Asian Insider: Malaysia Edition helps you connect the dots on the biggest stories playing out in Malaysia every week. Sign up here to get the newsletter in your inbox.
If you’ve been tracking gold prices, you might assume anyone with a few grams stashed away is swimming in money right now.
With the start of Ramadan coinciding with Chinese New Year, Malaysians preparing for the double festivities are finding that not all that glitters is gold when cashing out.
Pawn shops across the country are suffering from a cash crunch as soaring gold prices trigger unprecedented demand. This is forcing them to turn away the surge of customers that come looking for much-needed cash ahead of festivities.
Instead of the usual queues, our correspondent Muzliza Mustafa found several pawn shops in Kuala Lumpur deserted, with signs saying “New pawns suspended”.
“A week ago, I did try to pawn my own 2g of gold just to see if they were really out of cash. Two outlets took my details, but they didn’t get back to me. When I checked, they said, ‘the queue is still very long’,” she said.
While the Malays and Chinese prepare for their celebrations, Hindus in the Indian minority face uncertainty as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sends mixed signals on temple demolitions.
He initially warned against a protest over Hindu temples allegedly built illegally on others’ land. Two days later, he vowed immediate action against houses of worship on land they don’t own.
This prompted vigilantes to tear down a temple just outside of Kuala Lumpur on Feb 11. Mr Anwar then said the public shouldn’t take the law into their own hands over purported illegal places of worship.
Meanwhile, 10 new active TB clusters are reported in Malaysia so far in 2026, causing experts to advise those travelling during the festive rush to take safety measures.
If you have suggestions for what you’d like to see from our coverage, let us know here. In the meantime, here’s a selection of the latest developments from Malaysia.
TB outbreak in Malaysia: Mask up when travelling during festive period, experts say
Experts advised the public to get themselves checked should they experience symptoms.
Anwar pushed to suspend, investigate anti-graft chief
Student protest over campus freedom law adds to Anwar’s pre-election challenges
It grants vice-chancellors powers to disband student groups deemed to disrupt campus harmony.
Fines, community service for first S’porean charged under new anti-littering law
Malaysia stages preview run of new ECRL train, 2027 launch on track
Traditional Chinese medicine in Malaysia is winning over more Malays
Colonial-era train signalling ritual survives in Malaysia’s ‘jungle railway’
In the 140-year ritual, a token is exchanged between train drivers which signifies clearance to proceed.
How Malaysia became a powerhouse in producing CNY songs
Many of the tunes are jaunty, with lyrics in a mix of Chinese dialects, English and even Malay.