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Asian Angle | Here’s how Anwar Ibrahim can avoid a ‘toxic’ opposition and turn Malaysia around
- To have a successful term in office, Anwar must deliver direction and hope with meaningful roles offered to allies and the opposition, says Wong Chin-Huat
- The new PM’s fundamental challenge lies not in multiple crises hitting Malaysia, but the peculiarity of the country’s toxic ethno-religious politics
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Twenty-four years after his fall from deputy prime minister to prisoner, Anwar Ibrahim of the multi-ethnic Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance has been sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister.
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He is the country’s fourth prime minister since May 2018, and his predecessors’ terms have been decreasing: 22 months to 18 months to 15 months. So, can Anwar last a full five years until December 2027?
The fundamental challenge lies not in the multiple crises hitting Malaysia, but the peculiarity of the country’s toxic ethno-religious politics.
Anwar’s Achilles’ heel is his commitment to multi-ethnic politics, which cost him the trust of the conservative majority among the country’s Malay-Muslims, who make up some 60 per cent of voters.
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From prison to Malaysia’s new leader: Anwar Ibrahim appointed to top seat
From prison to Malaysia’s new leader: Anwar Ibrahim appointed to top seat
An Islamist champion in the 1970s and 1980s, Anwar has embraced multi-ethnic politics since the mid-1990s. He formed the multi-ethnic People’s Justice Party (PKR) when he was purged and imprisoned by his mentor-turned-nemesis Mahathir Mohamad.
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