Sejauh mana pun penduduk pergi, bantahan mereka tetap didengar.

It means something like no matter how far or however far.

Breakdown:

• sejauh = as far / to what extent
• mana = which / where / how far in this kind of expression
• pun = adds a concessive meaning like no matter or even

So sejauh mana pun penduduk pergi means no matter how far the residents go.

This is an idiomatic expression. You should understand it as a whole, not too literally word by word.

In Malay, pun is often a separate particle when it adds emphasis or a concessive meaning.

So:

• mana pun = no matter where / whichever
• apa pun = whatever
• siapa pun = whoever

That is why sejauh mana pun is normally written with pun separate.

Be careful, because there are also some fixed words where pun is written together, such as:

• walaupun
• adapun
• andaipun

So this is partly a grammar issue and partly a spelling convention.

By itself, penduduk can be either resident or residents, depending on context.

Malay nouns usually do not have to change form for singular vs. plural. Here, it is understood as plural because of context, especially because the next clause has mereka = they/them/their.

So:

• penduduk = resident / residents
• in this sentence, it is understood as residents

Because in natural Malay, plural marking is often left unspoken if the meaning is already clear.

Malay can show plural in several ways:

• from context
• from a number word
• from another word in the sentence
• by reduplication, if needed

Here, plural is already clear from mereka, so penduduk-penduduk would be unnecessary.

Using reduplication is possible in some cases, but it often sounds more marked or less natural when the sentence already makes the meaning clear.

This is a noun phrase with the normal Malay word order for possession:

• bantahan = protest / objection
• mereka = they / them / their

So:

• bantahan mereka = their protest / their protests
• literally, it is protest their

Malay commonly puts the possessor after the noun:

• rumah saya = my house
• kereta Ali = Ali’s car
• bantahan mereka = their protest(s)

Like many Malay nouns, bantahan does not have to show number explicitly.

So bantahan mereka could mean:

• their protest
• their protests
• their objection
• their objections

The context or the English translation tells you which is intended.

If someone really wanted to make plurality explicit, they could say bantahan-bantahan mereka, but that is often unnecessary and less natural in ordinary sentences.

tetap means still, remain, or continue to in this kind of sentence.

It gives a sense of persistence despite the situation in the first clause. So the structure is roughly:

• No matter how far the residents go,
• their protest is still heard.

That contrast is exactly what tetap helps express.

Compare:

• didengar = is heard
• tetap didengar = is still heard / continues to be heard

So tetap adds emphasis: the protest continues to be heard despite whatever happens.

didengar is the di- passive form of dengar = hear.

So:

• mendengar = to hear, hear something actively
• didengar = to be heard

Malay uses passive forms very naturally, often more often than English learners expect. In this sentence, the focus is on bantahan mereka — the protest itself — not on the people hearing it.

So the passive makes sense:

• bantahan mereka tetap didengar = their protest is still heard

If you made it active, you would need a subject:

• Orang tetap mendengar bantahan mereka = People still hear their protest

That shifts the focus away from the protest and onto the listeners.

The sentence does not say.

That is normal in Malay passive sentences. The agent can be omitted when:

• it is unknown
• it is obvious
• it is not important
• the speaker wants to focus on the thing affected

Here, the important point is that the protest is heard, not exactly who hears it.

So the sentence leaves the hearer/listener unspecified.

Pergi means go, so it works naturally with an expression about distance like sejauh mana pun.

Together they mean:

• however far [they] go
• no matter how far [they] go

This suggests movement away, whether literally or more figuratively.

It is a natural pairing:

• sejauh mana pun ... pergi

A different verb would slightly change the nuance. For example:

• merantau would suggest going away or traveling afar, often for work or life away from home
• berjalan would focus more on walking/traveling

This is a very useful distinction.

• sejauh mana pun = no matter how far
  • focus on distance or extent
• ke mana pun = wherever / no matter where
  • focus on destination or place

So:

• Sejauh mana pun penduduk pergi = No matter how far the residents go
• Ke mana pun penduduk pergi = Wherever the residents go

They are similar, but not the same.

Yes, something like this is possible:

• Walau sejauh mana pun penduduk pergi, bantahan mereka tetap didengar.

That sounds natural and adds a clearer concessive sense, like even if or no matter how.

However, the original sentence is already correct and natural. In Malay, pun itself often carries enough concessive force, so walau is optional here rather than required.

The comma separates the fronted subordinate clause from the main clause:

• Sejauh mana pun penduduk pergi, = subordinate/concessive clause
• bantahan mereka tetap didengar. = main clause

This is similar to English punctuation in sentences like:

• No matter how far they go, their protests are still heard.

The comma helps readability and reflects the pause you would usually hear in speech.