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Joseph Sipalan

Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim on Monday said his government would seek parliament’s nod to impose a term limit on the country’s prime minister tenure, in a move seen as an attempt to regain the support of his core voter base ahead of the national polls in two years.
Anwar’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition has been battered politically since he took power in 2022, as supporters censured his administration for failing to live up to its reform pledges by accommodating corruption-tainted former rivals and leaning rightward in a bid to win over conservatives among the Malay-Muslim majority.
But reform was at the top of the agenda when Anwar gave his first public address of the year, announcing that his government would aim to make law by this year a limit of not more than 10 years or two full terms for a prime minister.
“Everyone has a limit. Even the [chief secretary to the government] cannot stay for decades, and this applies to all,” he said in his monthly address with members of the prime minister’s department.
While in opposition, Anwar’s PH coalition had for years made a two-term limit one of its key reform pledges, pointing to the decades of alleged plunder and abuse of power during his arch-rival Mahathir Mohamad’s first 22-year term in power from 1981 to 2003.

The fresh push for a term limit would help project the image that PH was still committed to its reform agenda, said Adib Zalkapli, managing director of geopolitical and public affairs firm Viewfinder Global Affairs.
“It will probably help to excite their core supporters. They need to be excited to vote; otherwise, like we saw in Sabah, no excitement means they will stay away from polling stations,” Adib told This Week in Asia.
But PH was all but wiped out in the Sabah state election in November, a result that experts say stemmed from accumulated frustrations over delivery gaps, local governance issues and the perception that Anwar’s reform momentum had slowed.
According to political analyst Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar, Anwar is also fighting an uphill battle against the narrative that he has abandoned his reform pledges. This is even though the prime minister had announced early in his term that his administration was working on changes such as the separation of powers between the attorney general and public prosecutor.
“Reform does not always mean a decision taken a few days after one comes to power,” said Tunku Mohar of the International Islamic University of Malaysia. “The irony of the current social media age is that it has given credibility to baseless perceptions.”
Beyond institutional reforms, a core concern of his largely urban vote base, Anwar will also need to address bread-and-butter issues that drive voter behaviour in rural constituencies if he hopes to win his presumed re-election bid due by early 2028 at the latest.
“This reform push may stabilise and re-energise PH’s core base, but it will not, on its own, decisively shift broader voter sentiment unless it is accompanied by tangible improvements on the ground,” said Awang Azman Awang Pawi, a sociopolitical analyst from the Academy of Malay Studies at Universiti Malaya and a senior fellow of the Academy of Kenegaraan Malaysia.

Anwar’s political fortunes at the same time hinge on how he projects Malaysia’s position on international issues.
On Sunday, he accused the US of violating international law through the “unlawful use of force against a sovereign state” by bombing Caracas and capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in its so-called war on drugs – the strongest condemnation coming out of Southeast Asia.
While it highlights fears of copycat actions by state actors beyond Latin America, Anwar’s statement also taps existing local sentiments critical of the US over its unwavering support of Israel and its war on Gaza, experts say.
“There are always domestic elements to foreign policy positions, and such signalling is equally crucial, especially as the country moves into its pre-election cycle,” said Thomas Daniel, a senior analyst with the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia.
And unlike in 2003 when ties plummeted after then prime minister Mahathir led Malaysia in condemning US “bullying” in its war on Iraq, Kuala Lumpur may be let off the hook by Washington over Anwar’s statement given their different leadership styles.
“[Anwar] is more issue-based, while [Mahathir] tends to contextualise larger narratives into other sub-interests,” said Hafidzi Razali, founder and CEO of policy advisory firm Strategic Counsel, adding that Anwar’s criticism was clear on concerns of international law and sovereignty.


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Malaysia

Anwar to limit Malaysia PM term in reform push to ‘re-energise’ supporters

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says his government aims to pass a law this year capping a prime minister’s tenure at 10 years or two terms. Photo: Reuters

Anwar Ibrahim supporters wave Pakatan Harapan flags in Kuala Lumpur in November 2022. The next general election is due by early 2028. Photo: Reuters

People march in Caracas on Sunday, demanding the release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife after their capture following US strikes on Venezuela. Photo: Reuters

Malaysians mock military base ‘parties’ with nuggets, fries memes amid probe

Screengrabs from a video purporting to show women at a bar in a military base. Photo: 
Tiktok/tegak.kebenaran

Screengrab from a video purporting to show a man socialising with a woman at Subang Air Base. Photo: Threads/tegak.kebenaran

Mydin joined the fray with a tongue-in-cheek post, suggesting that nuggets, fries and sausages were suitable for potluck events. Photo: X/MydinMalaysia

Why Malaysian court ruling against Najib is dividing Anwar’s coalition

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak escorted by prison officers on his arrival at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Complex on Monday. Photo: AP

A social media post by the Democratic Action Party’s Publicity Secretary Yeo Bee Yin over ex-prime minister Najib Razak’s defeat in a court case has rankled members of Umno. Photo: Twitter

Supporters of Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak gather outside the Kuala Lumpur High Court Complex on Monday. Photo: AP

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a briefing with reporters in Putrajaya last week. Anwar has called for calm over the court’s ruling against ex-leader Najib Razak’s house arrest application. Photo: EPA

Anwar’s coalition revives Malaysian Chinese school certification debate, sparking row

Students create a long scroll in Kelang, Selangor state. A proposal for the Malaysian government’s recognition of school leaving certificates issued by private Chinese high schools has sparked a row in the ruling coalition. Photo: Xinhua

School children waving Malaysian flags. Members of the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition have renewed a push for government recognition of school leaving certificates issued by private Chinese high schools. Photo : Malaysian Chinese Association

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaking at the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur in October. Photo: Reuters

The appointment of Hannah Yeoh as a minister in the prime minister’s department (Federal Territories) has triggered concerns among some Malay politicians. Photo: handout

Malaysia’s Anwar reshuffles cabinet to focus on ‘stronger growth’

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks at an investment conference in Kuala Lumpur in October. His new cabinet will be sworn in on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Hannah Yeoh will be the new minister in the prime minister’s department (Federal Territories) following her stint as youth and sports minister. Photo: Handout

Then Malaysian health minister Zaliha Mustafa attending an event in Negeri Sembilan in 2023. She has been  dropped as a minister in the prime minister’s department in Malaysia’s latest cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Shutterstock

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The move could ‘excite core supporters’ and help project the image that the ruling coalition remains committed to reform, analysts say


The move could ‘excite core supporters’ and help project the image that the ruling coalition remains committed to reform, analysts say.


Anwar to limit Malaysia PM term in reform push to ‘re-energise’ supporters

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The move could ‘excite core supporters’ and help project the image that the ruling coalition remains committed to reform, analysts say

The move could ‘excite core supporters’ and help project the image that the ruling coalition remains committed to reform, analysts say