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Joseph Sipalan

Queues formed early at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, as dozens lined up to receive a free motorcycle helmet offered at an event to celebrate two years of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government.
For Danial Darwis it is the most tangible form of help that he has received from the government since Anwar took office in 2022.
“Even if my salary has gone up a little, it is not keeping up with the rising cost of living,” said Danial, 25, who rode his motorcycle 60km from his rural hometown of Hulu Selangor to collect the freebie.
On Saturday, Anwar marks two years as prime minister, applauded for restoring political stability and overseeing a foreign investment-driven economic resurgence.
But the gains are uneven, with many Malaysians beset by inflation and flatlining wages.
Political trouble may lie ahead for Anwar, experts warn, as he tacks to the conservative right and bleeds support from his reformist base.
“He sort of moved the entirety of Malaysian politics to the right,” said James Chin, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania.
Anwar was appointed prime minister on November 23, 2022 by then-king Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, on condition that he form a unity government with political rivals after a divisive national election left the country without a clear winner.
After a rocky start defined by rumours of plots to oust him, he stabilised his government, deftly navigated the country’s fractious politics to solidify his hold on power.
But experts say that has come at the price of Anwar’s much-vaunted reform agenda as his administration has moved onto the political ground of the influential Malay nationalist Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition.


Malays – who form nearly 60 per cent of the country’s 34 million population – granted PN a significant minority stake in parliament as they sought new political representation without the taint of alleged rampant corruption that had wracked former ruling party Umno.
To build his Malay credentials, Anwar swiftly set about cracking down on taboo issues such as homosexuality, cancelling a music festival over an onstage kiss between two male members of a British rock band and banning Pride watches by Swiss brand Swatch.
More recently, his administration pushed forward a bill aimed at granting the federal territories’ top Islamic cleric power to enforce religious edicts as law.
Yet Anwar’s myopic focus on growing Malay support has led to a new term being coined by erstwhile supporters “Reformati” – the death of reform – a play on the leader’s Reformasi, or reform, slogan, according to Malaysia expert Bridget Welsh.
“Anwar left the promise of reform behind in his first year and in the second has taken away the hopes of reform altogether,” Welsh told This Week in Asia.
Few among Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) support base – who are predominantly ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian – still believe in Anwar as a dynamic reformist, she added, referring to his coalition.
At the same time moves to court the Malay vote appear to have fallen flat as that electoral group struggles with post-pandemic recovery and higher living costs, with few benefits from the tens of billions of dollars in foreign investments to grow Malaysia’s tech sector.
The country pulled in 160 billion ringgit (US$37.2 billion) in total approved investments over the first half of 2024, according to government data, and is expected to this year exceed its record investment haul of 329.5 billion ringgit in 2023.

“The reason why Anwar finds it very hard to push key reforms is that he does not have Malay support,” Chin said.
“That’s the unspoken rule in Malaysian politics, that you must have majority Malay support if you want to be a legitimate government.”
Supporters say Anwar has done well to stabilise the economy. He made unpopular cuts to costly subsidies including for chicken, eggs and diesel, while expanding targeted aid for the country’s most vulnerable groups.
But his critics argue he has wasted too much time on political vendettas, launching a high-profile corruption crackdown that has implicated arch-rival Mahathir Mohamad and his close associates.
On Wednesday, electoral reform watchdog Bersih 2.0 scored Anwar’s administration poorly in its midterm report card on implementation of its reform promises.
The group, which was instrumental in organising mass street protests in support of Anwar and his coalition while they were in opposition, said the government has failed to achieve meaningful progress on everything from electoral reforms to protection of civil liberties.
Yet, it has retained repressive laws such as the colonial-era Sedition Act to quell the opposition and dissenters.

Anwar on Thursday told parliament that Bersih’s assessment was “acceptable” as his government had only ruled for two years.
“Today we get a ‘D’ mark for UPSR and next time we can get an ‘A’ for SPM,” Anwar said during question time, comparing the grade to results for the final exams for primary and secondary schools.
Those who still believe that Anwar remains a politician intent on real reform cite constitutional amendments allowing Malaysian women to confer citizenship to their children born overseas and greater parliamentary oversight of government as examples of subtle but serious changes.
Anwar is playing the long game, said Chin of the University of Tasmania, eyeing a second term to pursue more radical reforms.
“Everything will be revealed after he wins the next general election,” Chin said.


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Anwar Ibrahim’s 2 years in power: Malaysia’s economy booms but reform promises sputter

Critics have accused Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of neglecting his much-vaunted reform agenda. Photo: EPA-EFE

Many Malaysians struggle with higher living costs. Photo: Reuters

Anwar Ibrahim (right) with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. The tech giant has pledged to invest US$2.2 billion in Malaysia to develop artificial intelligence. Photo: AP

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Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Photo: Facebook/Malay College Kuala Kangsar

Anwar Ibrahim shares a light moment with a fellow Malay College Kuala Kangsar alumnus at the annual meeting of the Malay College Old Boys Association in 2019. Photo: X/AnwarIbrahim

Former school friends of Anwar, wearing the ties of their prestigious alma mater, pictured in 1998. Photo: Reuters

Anwar Ibrahim with fellow Malay College alumni at the annual meeting of the Malay College Old Boys Association in November 2019. Photo: X/AnwarIbrahim

The Malay College’s legacy is steeped in nostalgia and past prestige. Photo: Facebook/Malay College Kuala Kangsar

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Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke. Photo: SCMP

Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke (right) standing before the fenced-off Friendship Bridge connecting Malaysia to Thailand. Photo: Hadi Azmi

A construction site of Malaysia’s East Coast Rail Link, a project under the Belt and Road Initiative, in Kelantan. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Beijing on November 7. Photo: China Daily via Reuters

Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke inspects the Light Rail Transit 3 project site at a depot in Klang last year. Photo: EPA-EFE

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Vladivostok. Photo: EPA-EFE

Ukrainian diplomat Denys Mykhailiuk. Photo: Hadi Azmi

An aerial view of Chasiv Yar, the front line city in ruins, following fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region on November 11. Photo: AP

Daim Zainuddin’s complex legacy and the twilight of Malaysia’s old guard

Malaysia’s then-finance minister Daim Zainuddin at an international Islamic banking summit held in Kuala Lumpur in 2001. Photo: AFP

Pallbearers carry Daim’s coffin up a flight of stairs on arrival at the Federal Territories Mosque in Kuala Lumpur for funeral prayers on Wednesday. Photo: Joseph Sipalan

Anwar Ibrahim gestures to supporters in 1999 after being sacked as Malaysia’s deputy prime minister and put on trial for sodomy. Photo: AFP

Daim’s wife, Naimah Abdul Khalid, embraces a family member attending her husband’s funeral prayers at the Federal Territories Mosque in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. Photo: Joseph Sipalan

Mahahtir Mohamad eats cake in 2001 to mark the 20th anniversary of him being prime minister. Photo: AFP

Muhyiddin Yassin (centre), Malaysia’s prime minister from 2020-2021, offers prayers while paying his final respects to Daim, accompanied by senior leaders from his Bersatu party. Photo: Joseph Sipalan

Daim meets Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (right) in Beijing in 2018. Photo: AFP

Malaysians split over home detention plan for prisoners – leniency gone too far?

The entrance of Sungai Buloh Prison, in Shah Alam, Malaysia. Photo: EPA-EFE

Malaysian former Prime Minister Najib Razak arrive at the Kuala Lumpur high court complex on October 30. Photo: AP

Malaysia’s lower house parliament building in Kuala Lumpur. The home detention law was discussed in parliament last month. Photo: AP

This Week in Asia

Politics

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

While Anwar brought economic and political stability to the country, he has largely abandoned his core agenda to win back Malay support


While Anwar brought economic and political stability to the country, he has largely abandoned his core agenda to win back Malay support.


Anwar Ibrahim

Malaysian politics

Mahathir Mohamad