Altimet releases new track ‘Aduh Malaysia (Sakau Sakau Sakau)’ as election talk heats up

Malaysian hip-hop artist Altimet has released a new single taking aim at corruption in the country as a possible election dominates local headlines.

Altimet, real name Syed Ahmad Abdul Rahman Alhadad, released ‘Aduh Malaysia (Sakau Sakau Sakau)’ on September 12 following a debut live performance at the party’s Rapat Mega Keadilan fair on September 11.

The single features lyrics like “Duit aku makin kecik buncit dia / Makin ramai miskin bandar ramai miskin tegar”: “My money gets smaller his stomach gets bigger / The poor are increasing and the cities are gathering more hardcore poor,” and “Siapa sokong penyamun / Bangun yang lama mengelamun / Duit kau aku semua dia sapu”: “Who supports thieves / Wake up those who have long been sleeping / He takes both your money and mine.”

Listen to Altimet’s ‘Aduh Malaysia (Sakau Sakau Sakau)’ below.

The rapper announced in April last year that he would be joining the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), also known as the People’s Justice Party. “So from the time I kept looking into myself and prioritising myself, now I feel is the time, or the longer I go through life, it is more important that I think of others, about my children,” he said of his decision to enter politics, adding, “I think about what kind of Malaysia that I want to leave for our children, because my father left a peaceful and prosperous Malaysia.”

“What am I going to give my children? That’s why I’m here.”

Altimet retired from performing in 2018 to focus on producing, songwriting and recording, having first risen to prominence as a member of now-defunct hip-hop trio Teh Tarik Crew, which formed in 1999. After releasing three studio albums, the group disbanded in 2007, the same year Altimet launched his first full-length solo album ‘First Among Equals’.

Altimet’s second album ‘Kotarayaku’ (‘My City’) was released in 2014, and was followed by ‘Amboi’ (‘Wow’) in 2016. In March 2018, he launched his fourth full-length release ‘Air’, which was followed up with another album ‘O’ in December that year.

Malaysia must hold general elections by September 2023. While no general election has been announced as of yet, there has been mounting pressure from several parties on Prime Minister Ismail Sabri to call early polls. Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim called upon the Prime Minister yesterday (September 11) to not cave to threats by certain members of his party facing court battles over corruption, the Straits Times reported.

“There is a possibility (of early polls), but I have said that a prime minister cannot set the date of the election based on the threats of a small group and their interest in closing their court cases,” he told the press, adding that the party expected polls to be held in October or early November.

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