Explainer | The nearly man: will Anwar Ibrahim ever lead Malaysia?

Amid the country’s ugly political tussle, Anwar’s future is in special focus after what observers say are blunders brought on by his own hubris

His backing of PM Muhyiddin’s budget drew calls for the opposition leader to step aside – but swift reversals of fortune cannot be discounted in Malaysia’s Game of Thrones

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Anwar Ibrahim is squarely in the crossfire of the commentariat. Photo: EPA

Published: 10:00am, 5 Dec 2020Updated: 12:36am, 18 Dec 2020

There is little doubt that 2020 will go down as an annus horribilis for Malaysia.

It’s been harder hit by the Covid-19 pandemic than neighbours such as Thailand and Singapore, with part of the damage self-inflicted: most of the country’s more than 70,000 cases so far occurred during a third wave of infections that began in October, after earlier outbreaks were quelled through a gruelling months-long lockdown.

Like the rest of the region, the country’s economy is poised for a full-year economic contraction unseen since the Asian Financial Crisis, with thousands of companies shut down and 90,000 jobs lost since January.

To compound matters, citizens have been subject since the start of the year to an ugly political tussle that at times appeared to blight the official response to the unprecedented health and economic crisis. And as the year winds down, it is that relentless political turmoil, rather than the pandemic or what lies ahead for the ravaged economy, that seems to be dominating chatter.

Of special focus is the future of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, after he made a series of moves this year that observers have characterised as blunders brought on by his own hubris.

Described for years as Malaysia’s eternal prime-minister-in-waiting, much to the 73-year-old’s irritation, questions are rising over whether it is now time for him to step aside and let new blood take over the reins of the progressive Pakatan Harapan [Pact of Hope] alliance he forged over two decades.