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Joseph Sipalan

It isn’t easy being prime minister.
When Anwar Ibrahim held his first news conference after officially taking office on November 24, 2022, he pledged to pursue his campaign promise to stamp out corruption that he and his allies have long said has plagued Malaysia and its government.
It is a policy that has featured prominently over Anwar’s two decades at the helm of the Reformasi or Reform movement, which galvanised activism among the country’s educated youths, who were outraged by Anwar’s unexpected dismissal and subsequent imprisonment by his former mentor-turned-rival, Mahathir Mohamad, in the late 1990s.
But two years into his prime ministership, Anwar seems to have quickly exhausted the goodwill that he and his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition had built over more than 20 years.

The most recent issue was the acquittal on Thursday of former first lady Rosmah Mansor of over a dozen charges of money laundering and tax evasion after a Kuala Lumpur high court found the charges defective.
Some say that the responsibility lies with the attorney general’s office for presenting a case that did not meet the minimum legal standards
But as far as the public is concerned, this happened under Anwar’s watch, and ultimately, the buck should stop with him.
The public backlash over Rosmah’s acquittal was so strong because she and her husband, jailed former leader Najib Razak, are at the centre of the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, which played a significant role in the opposition’s unprecedented victory in the 2018 national elections.
It could be argued that prosecutors ended up filing a weak case against Rosmah as the government rushed to slap the couple with dozens of charges separately within months of PH taking the reins of power, with Mahathir serving as prime minister for a second time.
But that line of reasoning provides scant comfort for a public that has seen the courts toss out corruption cases against Anwar’s new allies in his unity government.
The choice of prime minister fell on the king in 2022 after a deeply divided election resulted with no clear winner. Anwar was given the job on condition that he form a coalition government with his political rivals – which in this case were Najib’s former ruling Umno party and Sarawak state’s ruling GPS coalition.


Last year, Deputy Prime Minister and Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was acquitted of 47 charges related to criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering linked to a foundation he had established. This outcome followed a trial that extended over several years.
Earlier this week, Musa Aman, the controversial former chief minister of Sabah state on Malaysian Borneo, was appointed the state’s governor – a position that grants him immunity from legal action through the civil courts.
In 2020, he was acquitted of 46 graft and money laundering charges linked to Sabah timber concessions granted while in power. At that time, Anwar’s PH coalition had said they were “troubled and disappointed” by the court’s decision to drop the charges against Musa.
The prime minister has said that his administration will not interfere with the judiciary, highlighting the need for an independent legal system to operate freely without any pressure from the government to dispense justice properly.
The public disappointment, however, is not directed at the courts, but rather from the perceived favouritism shown to Anwar’s “new friends” in government.
Anwar did launch a high-profile corruption crackdown earlier this year, but critics argued it was targeted at his old foe Mahathir and his associates. A case against Mahathir’s closest political ally and adviser, Daim Zainuddin, was dropped after the latter’s death in November.
Which again triggered public queries – as to where Anwar and his government are going with their anti-corruption pledge.
It isn’t easy being prime minister.


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Malaysia

2 years on, is Anwar’s pledge to eliminate corruption in Malaysia facing a reality check?

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attends a welcome ceremony at the Government Palace in Lima, Peru on November 13. Photo: EPA-EFE

Rosmah Mansor, wife of Malaysia’s former leader Najib Razak, leaves Kuala Lumpur High Court in 2020. She was acquitted of over a dozen charges of money laundering and tax evasion. Photo: Reuters

Malaysian court clears Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor of money-laundering charges

Rosmah Mansor was granted a full acquittal from all 17 charges. Photo: AP

Najib’s house arrest at ‘discretion’ of Malaysia’s king, Anwar says

Malaysia’s current king, Sultan Ibrahim of Johor. Photo: AFP

Malaysia’s king Sultan Ibrahim (left) has lunch with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Johor on Monday. Photo: Facebook/anwaribrahimofficial

Malaysia’s current monarch, Sultan Ibrahim of Johor. Photo: AFP

Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak (centre) is escorted by prison officers upon his arrival at the Kuala Lumpur High Court for a hearing in October. Photo: AP 

Malaysia’s Mahathir says call for probe over Singapore island row a bid ‘to destroy me’

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad holds a press conference at Putrajaya on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Horsburgh Lighthouse at the Pedra Branca island. Photo: Shutterstock

Singapore’s delegation presenting the country’s position in the Pedra Branca island case in the Hague in 2007. Photo: AFP

Malaysia’s appointment of Thaksin and Hun Sen as Anwar’s advisers raises eyebrows

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, left, and his daughter and PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrive before the royal endorsement ceremony in Bangkok in August. Photo: AP

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thailand’s PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra take part in a press conference in Putrajaya on Monday. Photo: AFP

President of the Cambodian People’s Party Hun Sen (centre) and Cambodia’s PM Hun Manet (right) attend a ceremony in Phnom Penh on January 7. Photo: AFO

Royal commission urges criminal probe on Malaysia’s Mahathir over island lost to Singapore

Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks during the Nikkei Forum “Future of Asia” in Tokyo on May 24. Photo: AFP

Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Shanmugam Jayakumar (right), Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong (centre) and ambassador-at-large and law professor at the National University of Singapore Tommy Koh (left) are pictured at the UN’s International Court of Justice in The Hague in November 2007. Photo: AFP

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Photo: Reuters

This Week in Asia

Opinion

Asia Opinion

Anwar’s promise to eradicate corruption faces a reality check after ex-first lady Rosmah Mansor was acquitted of money laundering charges


Anwar’s promise to eradicate corruption faces a reality check after ex-first lady Rosmah Mansor was acquitted of money laundering charges.


Anwar Ibrahim

Mahathir Mohamad

Malaysian politics

Najib Razak

Corruption in Asia

Malaysia 1MDB scandal

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

My Take

My Take | 2 years on, is Anwar’s pledge to eliminate corruption in Malaysia facing a reality check?

Anwar’s promise to eradicate corruption faces a reality check after ex-first lady Rosmah Mansor was acquitted of money laundering charges