As of late, "decolonization" and associated terms (decolonial, decolonizing) have resurfaced within political and academic spheres, subsequently seeping into popular culture. Certain scholars argue that the careless, a-historical use of these terms risks attenuating the urgent political work into symbolic buzzwords or vibes. Using the article "Decolonization is not a metaphor" by Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang, we explore the promises and perils associated with such terms, and consider their conceptual use within the postcolonial Malaysian context. What would it mean to draw on the rich political and intellectual tradition of decolonization beyond the metaphor?