‘Make Kelantan Great Again’: Malaysians mock Trump-like proposal for Thai border wall

The Kelantan state government wants the federal government to fund the wall, which it says is aimed at curbing smuggling and flood waters

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A tower on the Thai side of the border between Thailand and Malaysia. Photo: Hadi Azmi

Published: 3:46pm, 7 Nov 2024

Malaysians have parodied the latest proposal to build a wall along their country’s northern border with Thailand as an effort to “Make Kelantan Great Again”, saying it echoes US President-elect Donald Trump’s failed bid for a wall to block unauthorised immigrants from Mexico.

The Kelantan state government’s proposal came just days after Thai authorities arrested a group of six Malaysians, including a popular singer from Kelantan, for reportedly smuggling 6,000 Yaba pills into the kingdom.

Calls for such a wall have been floated before as authorities on both sides struggle to plug the porous borders used by criminal elements ranging from drug smugglers to human trafficking syndicates.

The timing of the latest proposal – with the state government asking the federal government on Tuesday to pay for the wall shortly before news of Donald Trump’s victory in the US election – was not lost on the Malaysian public.

“Is someone copying Mexican Wall idea?” asked X user Koh Hock.

Others similarly quipped, saying Malaysia has “Trump running our northern border” and mocking the US President-elect’s famous catchphrase by coining the “Make Kelantan Great Again” phrase.