Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya percaya bahawa semua orang berhak memilih siapa yang mereka cintai, tanpa diskriminasi. - I believe that everyone has the right to choose whom they love, without discrimination.

The version without untuk is shorter and very natural.
Adding untuk makes it sound a little more formal or emphasized, but the meaning is the same.

What does berhak literally mean, and is it related to the word hak?

Yes, berhak is directly related to the noun hak.

hak = right, entitlement (as a noun)
- hak asasi manusia = human rights
berhak = to have the right, to be entitled (to)

So:

semua orang berhak memilih
= “everyone has the right to choose”

It’s an intransitive verb form built from the noun hak with the prefix ber-, which often means “to have / to be in a state of” something.

In siapa yang mereka cintai, what does yang do? Why is it needed?

Yang is a marker for relative clauses and for focusing/identifying something.
In this case, siapa yang mereka cintai literally breaks down as:

siapa = who
yang = (relative marker, “who/that/which”)
mereka = they
cintai = love

So it’s like: “who(ever) it is that they love”.

If you said only siapa mereka cintai without yang, it would sound strange or incorrect in standard Malay. In this structure, siapa is followed by a clause (they love X), and yang is needed to connect siapa with that clause.

Why is the verb cintai and not cinta or mencintai here?

The root is cinta (love, noun/feeling).
Malay uses different forms:

cinta – love (noun) or sometimes as a simple verb in informal speech
- saya cinta kamu (informal, influenced by English)
mencintai – to love (active, transitive verb)
- mereka mencintai pasangan mereka = they love their partners
dicintai – to be loved (passive)
cintai – verb stem used in certain constructions, often after question words or in relative clauses, where the prefix is dropped:
- siapa yang mereka cintai = who they love
- orang yang saya hormati = the person I respect

So siapa yang mereka cintai is a common pattern:

siapa yang mereka cintai ~ “who they love”
It uses the bare stem cintai after yang.

Why is it siapa yang mereka cintai and not siapa yang mencintai mereka? Don’t both mean “who they love”?

They are not the same:

siapa yang mereka cintai
- subject: mereka (they)
- object: the person represented by siapa
- meaning: “who(ever) they love” (they are doing the loving)
siapa yang mencintai mereka
- subject: siapa (who)
- object: mereka (them)
- meaning: “who loves them” (someone else is loving them)

In your original sentence we want:
“the person they love”, not “the person who loves them”, so siapa yang mereka cintai is correct.

Does semua orang mean “all people” or “everyone”? Is there any difference with setiap orang?

Both semua orang and setiap orang can translate as “everyone”, but there is a nuance:

semua orang = all people (as a group), everyone
- semua orang berhak memilih = everyone has the right to choose
setiap orang = each person, every single person (more individually focused)
- setiap orang berhak memilih = each person has the right to choose

In this sentence, both could be used:

Saya percaya bahawa semua orang berhak memilih…
Saya percaya bahawa setiap orang berhak memilih…

The overall meaning is the same; setiap orang feels slightly more “one by one”.

How does mereka work here? Is it plural “they”, and do verbs change for plural subjects in Malay?

Yes, mereka means “they / them” (3rd person plural).

In Malay, verbs do not change based on number or person. So:

dia cintai (he/she loves) – in this exact pattern you’d usually have dia mencintai, but grammatically the verb form itself doesn’t change for number
mereka cintai (they love) – again, no change in the verb shape because of mereka

In the clause siapa yang mereka cintai:

mereka = they
cintai = love (verb stem)
The verb is the same regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.

There’s no word like “can” or “may” in berhak memilih. How does Malay show the idea of permission or possibility here?

Berhak itself includes the idea of having the right / being entitled. It’s stronger than simple permission:

berhak memilih = have the right to choose
boleh memilih = can/may choose (allowed / possible)

So:

semua orang berhak memilih
= everyone has the right to choose (rights-based, stronger)

If you said:

semua orang boleh memilih siapa yang mereka cintai
= everyone can/may choose who they love (allowed, but not necessarily framed as a right)

What does tanpa mean, and how is tanpa diskriminasi different from saying tidak ada diskriminasi?

Tanpa means “without”.

tanpa diskriminasi = without discrimination
tidak ada diskriminasi = there is no discrimination

In your sentence:

…siapa yang mereka cintai, tanpa diskriminasi.
= “…who they love, without discrimination.”

You could also say:

…siapa yang mereka cintai, tanpa sebarang diskriminasi.
= “…without any discrimination at all.”

The tanpa phrase is a compact, natural way to express the idea of “without X” in formal or neutral Malay.

Is Saya the most natural pronoun here? Could I use aku instead?

Both are correct, but they differ in formality:

Saya – polite, neutral, used in most formal and semi-formal situations, and safe with people you don’t know well.
Aku – informal, used with close friends, family, or in literature/lyrics for a more intimate or emotional tone.

Your sentence:

Saya percaya bahawa semua orang berhak memilih…
sounds neutral, respectful, and is suitable for public statements, writing, speeches, etc.

You could say:

Aku percaya bahawa semua orang berhak memilih…

This would sound more personal or casual, like talking to a close friend or writing a personal post, depending on context.

Malay doesn’t show tense here. How do I know if this means “I believed” or “I believe” or “I will believe”?

Malay usually relies on context and time expressions rather than changing the verb form.

Saya percaya by itself is most naturally understood as:

“I believe” (present/general belief)

To express other times, you add adverbs or particles:

Dulu saya percaya… = I used to believe / I believed before
Saya akan percaya jika… = I will believe if…
Sekarang saya percaya… = Now I believe…

In your sentence, since there’s no time word, it’s understood as a general, present belief:

Saya percaya bahawa semua orang berhak memilih…
= “I believe (in general, now) that everyone has the right to choose…”

Is there another common way to say this sentence in Malay with the same meaning?

Yes, several natural variations are possible while keeping the same idea. For example:

Saya percaya semua orang mempunyai hak untuk memilih siapa yang mereka cintai, tanpa diskriminasi.
- mempunyai hak untuk = have the right to
- Slightly more formal and explicit.
Saya percaya setiap orang berhak menentukan sendiri siapa yang mereka cintai, tanpa diskriminasi.
- menentukan sendiri = to decide for themselves
- Emphasizes personal decision.
Pada pendapat saya, semua orang berhak memilih siapa yang mereka cintai, tanpa diskriminasi.
- Pada pendapat saya = In my opinion
- Softer, opinion-framing.

Your original sentence is already very natural and clear in standard Malay.