Anwar Ibrahim Finally Becomes Malaysian Prime Minister

Posted on : May 2, 2023
Author : Dwaipayan Sinha

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Abstract: Malaysia recently elected its new prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar, who has missed the top job by a whisker several times, has stitched up a shaky alliance this time. While old war horses like Mahathir Mohamad have slipped out of public preference, newer radical Islamic political outfits are raising their heads as the Malaysian society is experiencing economic and political challenges. The Muslim Malays are often found in conflict with people of Chinese and Indian ethnicity who are a minority. Reformist Anwar seeks to usher in progressive changes but faces stiff resistance from many in his own alliance and in the opposition who want to continue with the Bumiputra policies of the previous regimes.

 

Keywords: Pakatan Harapan, United Malays National Organisation, Perikatan National, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir Mohamad, 1MDB, Yakoob, Muhyiddin

 

On November 24, 2022, 75-year-old reformist leader Anwar Ibrahim took oath as the prime minister of Malaysia. He had previously come close to becoming the prime minister on many occasions. Anwar-led multi-ethnic coalition called Pakatan Harapan (PH) emerged as the largest group after the results to the parliamentary election was announced. The national election was held on 19th November,2022.[i] But none of the parties was able to attain absolute majority, an anomaly which Malaysia has not seen since its independence in 1957. Anwar’s alliance got 82 seats which was not enough to crown him prime minister. He received support from United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a traditionally dominant party, to become prime minister.[ii] Several regional parties also provided support to Ibrahim in Sabah and Sarawak states.[iii]

 

Anwar Realises Dream

 

Since the election resulted in a hung parliament, it became the constitutional duty of the monarch (Ahmad Shah) to decide who the prime minister would be. There was widespread confusion among voters on whose name the monarch would decide on after the results were out on 20th November. The constitutional monarch initially suggested that the PH alliance form a unity government with the Malay Muslim-controlled Perikatan National (PN) alliance. The alliance is led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin and won 73 seats. But the King had to finally appoint Anwar as the Prime Minister. “His Majesty reminds all quarters that whoever wins, does not win all, and those who lose do not lose all,” the palace asserted. “The people should not be burdened by endless political turmoil as the country needs a stable government that will boost the economic landscape and national development,” it added.[iv]

 

According to media reports, Anwar had informed the monarch of his desire to lead a strong government which was representative of all ethnicities and religious affiliations. PH has accommodated the interests of the Indian and Chinese minorities. UMNO, which is dominated by Malays, followed Bumiputra (sons of the soil) policies where the dominant ethnic Malay Muslims have been preferred in jobs, education, and business. The Bumiputra policies have resulted in asymmetric growth of the Malays at the cost of the minorities, hindering the overall development of the country.[v] Anwar, whose campaign slogan was “Kitah Boleh” (We can), has pledged to ensure that the minorities are provided with more opportunities while also placating the fears of the Malay Muslims that he will junk the Bumiputra policies. “But we will not compromise on ensuring and recognising the rights, citizenship, and opportunities of every race, religion and region in this country,” he said during campaign. “No Malaysian should be left to feel that they are ignored in any way, none should be marginalised under my administration,” he added.[vi] Additionally, he has promised for more regional representation in his government. This is the reason why smaller outfits from Sabah and Sarawak, who have felt ignored by previous governments, have decided to support Anwar.

 

In 2020, the former ruling alliance which was headed by Mahathir Mohamad, saw a split and the monarch asked Muhyiddin to become prime minister. In doing so he ignored the claims of Anwar, who was then serving as the deputy prime minister in the Mahathir Mohamad government. Anwar was again overlooked by the King when the vice president of UMNO Ismail Sabri Yaakob was made the prime minister following Muhyiddin’s reign in 2021. Anwar’s claim that he had majority in parliament was ignored.[vii]

 

Prime minister Anwar will also be serving as the finance minister. This has led to several political analysts questioning his decision as his precursors have been embroiled in controversies. Former prime minister Najib Razak’s tenure was rocked by the 1MDB scandal. In order to bring in foreign investments to Malaysia, Razak created the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state fund. Razak and his cronies were accused of stealing billions of dollars from the fund when he was at the helm of the government. Razak himself pocketed over $730 million according to the US Justice Department. Razak, serving a 12-year jail term, was acquitted in the latest trial on the scandal in March 2023.[viii]

 

UMNO’s Dismal Performance

 

After the UMNO registered impressive victories in the state elections in early 2022, an overconfident Yaakob decided to call for snap election. The parliamentary election was scheduled to be held in mid-2023. Yaakob’s gamble did not prove fruitful for him as his party could only muster a mere 26 seats. Allegations of large-scale corruption, nepotism, mishandling of COVID-19 pandemic and economic distress resulted in the poor performance of UMNO. The Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance led by UMNO won 30 seats in total and supported Anwar’s prime ministership in order to remain a part of ruling regime. BN has been the most dominant alliance in Malaysian political arena since its independence.[ix] In 2018, former prime minister Mahathir Mohammed and Anwar Ibrahim (both are former members of UMNO) had stitched up an alliance and assumed power.

 

UMNO hit its electoral lowest in 2022 election but still managed to cling onto power because the Malaysians delivered a fractured mandate. In order to keep the BN in good spirits, Anwar decided to placate a lot of their demands. “I have stressed that this government is a unity government. This national unity government, as of this evening before the swearing-in ceremony, comprises Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Parti Sarawak. Hence, with this majority and the strength of PH, (it is) the biggest bloc,” Anwar said.[x]

There are two deputy prime ministers in the Anwar Ibrahim government.  UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is one of them. Many have questioned the choice as he has been accused of corruption. Currently he is facing over 42 charges of bribery, money laundering, and criminal breach of trust. He has denied any wrongdoing thus far. The second deputy prime minister is the leader of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Fadillah Yusof. The party managed to secure 23 seats and has been previously allied with UMNO.[xi] The Gabungyon Rakyat Sabah won 6 seats and joined Anwar government.

 

Rapid Rise of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia

 

It would be difficult for Anwar to keep his alliance together throughout his entire scheduled tenure. Malaysians have elected three prime ministers in the past five years. Anwar had expected that the young voters would rally behind him this time as 18- to 20-year-olds were given voting rights for the first time in history.[xii] However, his Pakatan Harapan ended up losing some seats to opposition parties (PH won 100 seats in 2018) even though many additional voters were eligible this time. It is believed that Anwar’s bonhomie with the conservative Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) resulted in the alienation of minorities.

 

Surprisingly, the PAS made significant gains in this election winning 49 seats. This is more than double the number of seats it won in 2018 (23, which was the highest number of seats won by PAS at that time). The UMNO has been replaced by PAS as the biggest Malay party in the parliament. It was successful in mobilising the young voters using social media. Like its coalition partners in the PN alliance, the PAS campaigned on a conservative plank against the PH alliance propagating that in case the PH alliance comes to power it would reverse the Bumiputra policies which would be a setback to majority Malays. PAS has been historically associated with the most reactionary form of Malay communalism.[xiii] The party, which has been mostly restricted to the rural eastern part of peninsular Malaysia, saw growing support in urban areas. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang is known for making rabid communal overtures. The party has gained legitimacy in the minds of the Malay voters due to Anwar and Muhyiddin hobnobbing with it in recent times. Even though the PAS adopted a softer approach to Anwar’s candidature as prime minister, it refused to join his unity government.

 

End of Road for Mahathir?

 

Perhaps the biggest shock for the electorate was the defeat of the 97-year-old Mahathir. He successfully contested from his stronghold Langkawi constituency in 2018 and won with a record margin. The “father of Malaysian development” has been a favourite of the voters of the resort island for decades. Mahathir, who had retired from active politics after serving for more than two decades as prime minister, came out of retirement with the outbreak of the 1MDB scandal. Mahathir played an instrumental role in defeating his former protege Najib in 2018. The grand old man’s second tenure as prime minister was from 2018 to 2020 as the head of an alliance government.[xiv] Mahathir and Anwar, who became bitter rivals after the former removed the latter from the post of deputy prime minister in 1998 over disagreements on financial policies, had formed an alliance in 2018 to oust Najib. Anwar was at the receiving end of politically motivated sodomy charges for which he had to serve jail sentences twice. Anwar decided to start the ‘Reformasi’ movement after the 1998 incident and that has been central to his electoral campaigns ever since. Anwar and Mahathir fell out once again in 2020 as Mahathir refused to hand over prime ministership to Anwar as was decided in the pre-election pact.[xv] This led to Mahathir creating a new political alliance named Pejuang to contest the 2020 elections. His desire to become the prime minister once again startled most Malaysians and Mahathir ended up experiencing a shock defeat.

 

Even though Anwar has realised his lifelong dream of becoming prime minister, the road ahead is full of challenges for him.[xvi] Malaysian society is deeply polarised and the economy needs attention. The World Bank expects the economy to growth by 4 percent. The lower classes have expressed their displeasure with the constant political instability and have engaged in protests to draw attention to their economic well-being. Anwar has promised that his regime will control rising inflation and fight corruption. He has let go of his prime minister salary and has pledged to enact reforms which include a fixed term parliament act and a ten-year limit for serving prime ministers. How Anwar would tackle opponents who wish to damage the pluralist and inclusive nature of Malaysian society remains to be seen.

 

 

 

Dwaipayan Sinha

Asia In Global Affairs

[i] Malaysia’s general elections: A mandate of hope

(https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-insight/international-affairs/malaysias-general-elections-a-mandate-of-hope-101669362968861.html)

[ii] Long-time reformist leader Anwar Ibrahim sworn in as Malaysian PM

(https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/malaysia-king-names-reformist-leader-anwar-ibrahim-as-prime-minister/article66177507.ece)

[iii] Malaysia PM signs cooperation pact with smaller parties ahead of confidence vote

(https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/malaysia-pm-signs-cooperation-pact-with-smaller-parties-ahead-confidence-vote-2022-12-16/)

[iv] Anwar Ibrahim becomes Malaysia PM after decades of waiting

(https://www.livemint.com/news/world/anwar-ibrahim-becomes-malaysia-pm-after-decades-of-waiting-11669274937142.html)

[v] As Malaysia’s bumiputra policy turns 50, citizens debate impact of affirmative action

(https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3154980/malaysias-bumiputra-policy-turns-50-citizens-debate-impact)

[vi] Anwar: Islam, Bumiputera rights will be upheld but no M’sian will be marginalised under his watch

(https://www.theborneopost.com/2022/11/24/anwar-islam-bumiputera-rights-will-be-upheld-but-no-msian-will-be-marginalised-under-his-watch/)

[vii] Anwar Ibrahim: The man who fulfilled his goal to lead Malaysia

(https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16440290)

[viii] Explained: Malaysia’s ex PM and the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal

(https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/najib-razak-malaysias-ex-pm-and-the-multi-billion-dollar-1mdb-scandal-5657186/)

[ix] Can Umno win back the Malay vote?

(https://www.malaysianow.com/news/2022/12/05/can-umno-win-back-the-malay-vote)

[x] Anwar to lead unity government comprising PH, BN and GPS; keeps door open for other partners

(https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-ge15-anwar-ibrahim-pm-press-conference-unity-government-vote-confidence-3098681)

[xi]Malaysia’s Anwar picks 2 deputies among 27 cabinet members

(https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/malaysia-s-anwar-picks-2-deputies-among-27-cabinet-members/2753886)

[xii] In Malaysia election, newly enfranchised teens could be the kingmakers

(https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2022/1118/In-Malaysia-election-newly-enfranchised-teens-could-be-the-kingmakers)

[xiii] After 2 years, PAS emerges as ‘true power’ in PN(https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/11/15/after-2-years-pas-emerges-as-true-power-in-pn/)

 

[xiv]The never-ending political game of Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad

(https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/10/30/the-never-ending-political-game-of-malaysias-mahathir-mohamad/)

[xv] Timeline: Mahathir and Anwar’s turbulent relationship

(https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/2/24/timeline-mahathir-and-anwars-turbulent-relationship)

[xvi]Malaysia’s New Dawn? (https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/malaysia-new-government-economic-challenges-anwar-ibrahim-by-m-niaz-asadullah-and-andrew-kam-jia-yi-2023-01)