The dust has settled on a frenetic and chaotic GE15 in Malaysia. Over the course of 4 days, voters took to the polls, marveled at major upsets, faced the possibility of a hung parliament, AND watched with bated breath the negotiation talks between political blocs. The outcome? A 28-year long wait to take the top seat in Malaysia was banished when Anwar Ibrahim was named the country’s 10th Prime Minister. Cheers erupted around the country, with many proclaiming this to be a new era of Malaysian politics, one free of corruption that had gripped the political scene for years. But questions remained. How would the weak coalition government even put aside political differences to govern? Would sworn enemies ever become allies? Some said that the question was not if, but when UMNO would go against Pakatan Harapan. Additionally, how would Anwar govern? This week, we look at Anwar, the man himself, and his rocky rise to power.
21/11/22. Droves of Malaysians went to the polls for the so-called “mother of all elections”. As analysts predicted, there wasn’t a clear winner with a simple majority, resulting in the first hung parliament in Malaysian history. As we have come to expect from Malaysia these past few years, political power rests on a thin balance, often rocking both ways. After Pakatan Harapan’s historic win in 2018, just 22 months later Perikatan Nasional took power, and another 17 months later, Barisan Nasional (UMNO) took control. The 3 major coalitions had all tasted power within the last 4 years, proving just how volatile the political scene was. At the end of the day, major upsets in many races resulted in the closest 3-way fight in history, with all parties lacking the extra votes to push them over the edge. Notably, ex-PM Mahathir, also known as the godfather of modern Malaysia and credited with their huge economic success in the 1990s, was heavily beaten in the Langkawi MP race, even losing his deposit after garnering less than the required 12.5% vote threshold.
THE DISMAL SHOWING for Barisan Nasional was also a highly significant talking point. Having ruled Malaysia since independence up till 2018, the UMNO-led coalition suffered a brutal blow in the polls with upsets in a number of seats, a clear sign of rejection from the Malays, who jumped ship to Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional bloc. Signs of corruption in UMNO, and a fear for greater pluralism in Malaysia benefited PN, who now has a strong Malay base in opposition to the more liberal and multicultural Pakatan Harapan. While both PN and PH were in contention to become the ruling coalition, UMNO, who still held seats in rural states like Borneo and Sabah, ironically became the kingmaker, and eventually swung to PH in a surprise move. Who thought that 2 parties, so diametrically opposed, could set aside their differences for a greater good. The only question that remains, how long will this last? For now though, Anwar is the 10th PM of Malaysia.
Anwar Ibrahim, take a bow. He had been on the cusp of power twice, but it seems the third time’s the charm. A firebrand youth leader, he founded an Islamic youth movement before being recruited by UMNO. He enjoyed a meteoric rise to power throughout the 1980s-90s. By the late 90s, he was the deputy PM cum finance minister, in addition to being groomed to take over from then PM Mahathir. Just on the brink of power, the Asian Financial Crisis hit, and he had a bitter falling out with Mahathir over Malaysia’s response to this crisis. He was sacked in September 1998, detained without trial and charged with sodomy and corruption. Mass protests erupted to protest his treatment, especially after he was brought to court sporting a black eye, courtesy of the then police chief. His new People’s Justice Party vowed for reforms of the system and an end to corruption.
After being jailed for 6 years for sodomy charges, his conviction was overturned in 2004, a year after Mahathir stepped down. Suspicious, was it not? Yet again imprisoned in 2015 after UMNO cooked up a series of corruption allegations aimed at crushing his alliance which was making gains against UMNO, Anwar did the unthinkable. Making up with Mahathir from his prison cell, who returned to politics after the 1MDB scandal, their historic reunion led to the unthinkable ouster of UMNO from power. Mahathir became the world’s oldest leader at 92, and Anwar was pardoned shortly, and was positioned to take over Mahathir. Unfortunately infighting broke out which led to their government’s collapse.
Witnessing and experiencing firsthand the evil of corruption, Anwar campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, promising to plug the billions of dollars lost to corruption. His pledges spoke with people’s hearts, which still had not healed since the 1MDB fiasco. Millions of new registered voters flocked to Anwar’s camp, drawn by his multiracial and anti-corruption stance. The power of youth was greatly apparent in GE15, and could this be the precedent for future elections?
NOW that Anwar has won the seat of power, how will he govern? His campaign revolved around the eradication of corruption, and the efficient use of public funds to ensure economic growth. For now, it seems he is a man of his word. He has allegedly pledged to not take up the RM80,000 (USD 18,000) salary when the Orang Asli villagers struggle to earn RM400 a month. Additionally, he has rejected the use of a luxury Mercedes S600 limousine as his own personal car, opting to use any car available to him at his office, vowing to drive home a new ‘culture’ of saving not spending. Very much aware of the fate of his predecessor Najib Razak, who is currently residing in prison over the multi-billion dollar 1MDB corruption scandal, Anwar made an immediate point of refraining from indulgence. The new PM has also made some fundamental changes to Malaysian governance, opting for a reduced-size cabinet, while also foreshadowing a cut in the salaries of ministers.
Against the backdrop of his messy win, these are the right measures and pledges to better appeal to the rural Malay and Muslim electorate that was growing frustrated at UMNO’s corruption antics and the growing inequality during the pandemic, constrained by a distrust of Anwar’s multi-ethnic bloc. By portraying himself as a pragmatist and a man of the people by cutting government spending on the wealthy, he has endeared himself to a Malaysian public so accustomed to seeing the indulgent lives of their leaders.
BUT one problem remains, how stable is his new unity government? By having to embrace Barisan Nasional and its dominant party UMNO to make up the numbers for its parliamentary majority, Anwar has put his government in real danger of political infighting, considering how PH and BN have directly opposing ideals and visions for Malaysia. How will both parties work together on issues like race and rakyat protection? Speculation was that the deal between both sides included a free pass for UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who was facing 47 corruption charges, as well as a pardon for Najib. This seems unlikely, given that Anwar is far too clever and not desperate to take that move which would see his government lose the public good will immediately.
It seems a new dawn has risen for Malaysia. With a capable leader who has strong ideals, gone are the days of corruption and graft. After waiting decades for his moment to shine in the top spot, Anwar fully deserves his praises and support of the people. Instilling a new government culture focused on saving, he is conducting a full upheaval of the political system, and one that’s for the better.
References
Barrett, C. (2022, November 28). New PM rejects salary, luxury car, drives home need for 'new culture'. Retrieved from https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/new-pm-rejects-salary-luxury-car-drives-home-need-for-new-culture-20221128-p5c1uh.html
Chalil, M. (2022, November 25). Malaysia's 15th general election (GE15) coverage. Retrieved from https://www.malaysia.ahk.de/en/infocentre/ge15-coverage
Kumar, P. P. (2022, November 24). Malaysia's Anwar sworn in as PM, pledges to fight corruption. Retrieved from https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Malaysia-election/Malaysia-s-Anwar-sworn-in-as-PM-pledges-to-fight-corruption
Ng, E. (2022, November 19). Malaysia faces new crisis as poll delivers Hung Parliament. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/legislature-malaysia-national-elections-17b1bf62d9a632b102a04b34bba5fc76
Ng, E. (2022, November 25). From prisoner to PM, Malaysia's Anwar had long ride to top. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/malaysia-anwar-ibrahim-government-and-politics-774c033147453b749312ff66ffa9111c
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