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by Henry Loh In just another month, on 24 November, Anwar Ibrahim will complete three full years as Malaysia’s Prime Minister. |
| Prior to his swearing in as PM, Anwar had a been a PM-in-waiting for the longest time. At 78 and having been in politics since his university days, his political career has been like a see-saw with many ups and downs. Mostly he had been down way longer than up. |
| Anwar has been to prison and in detention at various points in his life. No one can challenge the fact that he is tenacious, a fighter, a survivor – ever determined to achieve set goals and aspirations. |
Fragile foundations
| The circumstances under which the current ‘unity’ government was formed after 2022 general election were far from ideal. No single coalition won sufficient seats to form a government outright. Pakatan Harapan with 82 seats), formed an alliance with Barisan Nasional (30 seats), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (23) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (six). |
| Hence, combined, the unity government controls 141 or 63.5% of the 222 seats in Parliament. |
| The word unity only serves to signify that the various coalitions were willing to come together to form a government. But in terms of priorities, political outlook, aspirations, key objectives and principles, their differences appear to outweigh their similarities. |
| The other major coalition Perikatan Nasional, comprising Bersatu and Pas, opted to be the opposition. |
| It is not easy for Anwar to meet all the needs, demands and aspirations of his various coalition partners. From the outset, in partnering BN, comprising Umno, the MIC and the MCA, he already had to make difficult choices. Umno president Zahid Hamidi was appointed as first Deputy PM whilst facing 47 corruption charges. He was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on these charges on 4 September 2023. This led to accusations of political interference, generating much debate in Parliament as the opposition claimed the decision was made out of expediency to keep the unity government together. |
| Over the last there years, Anwar has had to tread carefully. He has had to keep his unity government partners on his side whilst balancing the national agenda of promoting unity and inclusiveness, developing the economy, and ensuring growth and a fairer distribution of wealth and resources. |
Religion, race and ‘sensitivity’
| In the peninsula, four states – Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu and Kelantan – are governed by PN, more specifically Pas. Since the last general election, political commentators have been referring to a “green wave“ – a resurgence of, and growing support by the Malay Muslim electorate for the Islamic agenda. |
| Then we also have the territories of Sabah and Sarawak where overall development is still way behind richer states like Selangor and Penang. |
| Sabah faces a water crisis and many of the districts face water shortages and often suffer supply interruptions. Infrastructure development of roads and bridges is still lacking while existing ones are poorly maintained. |
| READ MORE: Mary Ann Jolley grills Anwar about Najib |
| The irony is that much of Malaysia’s oil and gas revenue is sourced from Sabah and Sarawak. In 2023 Petronas reported revenue of RM344bn and in 2024, 320bn. |
| Yet the reality is Sarawak and Sabah on average only receive RM1.5bn and RM1bn in oil royalties respectively in a year. Sarawak has since 2019 imposed a 5% sales and service tax on all oil and gas produced in the territory. Sabah is set to do the same. |
| Under this unity government, there has been much more discussion and debate to fulfil the spirit and essence of the Malaysia Agreement 1963. |
| A key and crucial point of the agreement is that Sabah and Sarawak are not ‘joining’ Malaysia as two additional ‘states’. Instead, they form the Federation of Malaysia as equal founding partners with Malaya. |
| It is from this premise that Sabah and Sarawak have of late begun asserting their rights and requesting their just rewards. The PM will need to consider carefully Sabah and Sarawak’s demands as a withdrawal by GPS and GRS will affect the stability of his government. |
| In relation to BN and in particular Umno, Anwar needs to grapple with their preferred brand of politics that focuses on ethno-religious issues, specifically the Malay-Muslim narrative. |
| Umno’s youth wing chief, Akmal Salleh, has over the last three years raised issues that serve to divide rather than unite the people. His antics over the word Allah on socks found at KK Mart outlets and the improper display of a Malaysian flag by an ethnic Chinese shopkeeper fuelled much debate and worsened disunity among the people. |
| In October 2023 a controversy broke out when someone uploaded a photo on social media showing a cafeteria in the University of Malaya was offering “chicken ham sandwich” with the assumption that it was not halal and that no efforts were made to warn Muslim customers. |
| The Islamic development department Jakim sent the sample sandwich for testing to discover that it indeed consisted of halal chicken meat and that the supplier had a valid halal certificate issued by Jakim itself. |
| The main objection was to the word “ham”, and the vendor was then ordered to change the name to smoked chicken sandwich or chicken slice. Foreigners may well find the above issue humorous but it is no laughing matter here. |
| These are just a few episodes to show how Anwar often has to walk a tight rope in dealing with his different coalition partners. Often, decisions or stands taken by members of the unity government seem to go against the grain of promoting unity among the people. |
| Many had hope that Anwar would use his authority and wisdom to right the wrongs. Take the case of Akmal threatening to ‘teach’ an ethnic Chinese businessman the proper way of hanging the Malaysian flag. But Anwar did not publicly instruct the Umno youth leader to tone down. |
| READ MORE: Beyond the blame game: How you and I can help Malaysia's progress |
| More recently, another controversy erupted when liquor was served at an event where the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture was originally thought to be the sponsor and organiser. Tiong King Sing, the minister, later clarified that the Global Travel Meet gala dinner was sponsored and funded by the private sector. |
| But despite this clarification, Anwar saw it fit to admonish Tiong with a stern warning for not being sensitive to Muslims who attended the function. |
| Little attention was given to the fact that Tiong’s ministry had used the Global Travel Meet to launch the Visit Malaysia 2026 programme of events. It was also conveniently overlooked that the ministry through its diligence in promoting Malaysia as a tourist destination had generated some RM2bn in investments. |
| The headline of a Malaysiakini commentary by S Thayaparan was telling: “Madani needs a stern reminder that Tiong is good for business”. |
| Anwar, as a Malay Muslim, is often seen as acceding to the demands of the more conservative Malay Muslim. |
| Some have argued that in response to the “green wave”, Anwar tries to project himself as just as Islamic – if not more – than people from Pas. In Budget 2026, a hefty RM2.6bn was allocated to Jakim. |
| Anwar’s response to the ‘liquor at the official dinner’ episode may well have been different if he was confident that, in general, Muslims in our country can appreciate that Malaysia is a multi -ethnic and multi-religious country. |
| But the indications are that his assessment of the general Malay-Muslim population leans more toward the conservative interpretation of Islam. |
| So where does this leave the ethnic minorities and the more liberal Malay population? The ethnic breakdown of Malaysia’s 34 million population is estimated to be 58.1% Malay, 12.3% other bumiputra, 22.4% Chinese and 6.5% Indian. |
| Some among the ethnic and religious minorities and the more inclusive Muslims and Malays believe it’s best to support Anwar and not rock the boat. They believe the alternative of PN at the helm – with Pas and Bersatu in power – will be worse for the country. |
| On the other hand, more people are now feeling oppressed and disappointed and sidelined, with Anwar and his “Madani” (compassionate) government for not being more inclusive and understanding towards the ethnic and religious minorities. |
| Many can recall the famous slogan that Anwar often repeated in Chinese at political rallies across the country: “Wo men dou shi yi jia ren” (We are all members of one family). |
| Another favourite rally cry of Anwar’s: “Anak Melayu anak saya, anak Cina anak saya, anak India anak saya , anak Iban atau anak Kadazan…mereka semua anak saya” (A Malay child is my child, a Chinese child is my child, an Indian child is my child, an Iban child, a Kadazan child…they are all my children). |
| READ MORE: Who wants to join Pas' anti-Anwar rally? No, thank you |
| That was Anwar’s epitome of inclusiveness which certainly won him a lot of popular support among those who value unity and harmony. |
Reform, governance and Madani challenge
| How will Anwar fare if the elections are held today? Will the Madani government be able to win another term? Will the current partners agree to contest as a team or go their separate ways? |
| The Sabah state election falls on 29 November, and it will be interesting to see the outcome. A tussle appears to be on the cards between those fighting for the Sabah for Sabahans concept and those who support cooperation with peninsula politicians. |
| In the remaining two years of his term, Anwar and his federal government should fully abide by the Madani principles of good governance, sustainable development, inclusiveness and compassion (especially for the poor). They need to value integrity and fight corruption. These principles need to be brought to life by policies and activities carried out in all government departments and ministries. |
| Otherwise, the Madani concepts and values will remain as just statements on paper. |
| The recent spate of school violence, bullying incidents and similar concerns have shocked the nation and do not bode well for the current education system. |
| Something is seriously wrong. Urgent attention is required to review the entire system. A thorough and major revamp is needed. The RM66.2bn allocated to the Ministry of Education ministry under Budget 2026 should be put to effective use. |
| We need transformation and the help of experienced visionaries to effect these changes. |
| In the remaining two years, Anwar and his cabinet must push for the many legal reforms that they raised in their election manifesto. |
| For instance, the separation of the role of the attorney general and the public prosecution function has been talked about and in the pipeline for years. Make it happen now to show that the government is serious about reforms. Push for the necessary constitutional reforms and ensure that there are checks and balances on the powers accorded to the prosecution. |
| The Government Procurement Bill that was passed in Parliament in late August was rushed through. Unfortunately, the bill seems to concentrate way too much power and discretion in the hands of the finance minister. |
| This was indeed alarming and certainly not a reflection of good governance. An Aliran statement noted that “the hasty approach mirrors the authoritarian tendencies that reform movements seek to dismantle”. |
| So, will Anwar be a one-term PM? Or will voters give him another chance in the coming general election? |
| The answer to that will depend heavily on the kind of Malaysia he and his team |
| undertake to develop during their remaining time in power. |
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