Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim must tread carefully to heal nation divided by race, inequality

In addition to a confidence vote on December 19, Anwar faces a delicate balance of addressing criticism towards his cabinet, tackling corruption and cutting red tape
Malaysians will also monitor how Anwar tackles the woes of the underclass that is closely associated with Malay-Muslim voters

Norshahril Saat

Published: 6:29pm, 5 Dec 2022

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Barely two weeks after taking office, Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim is already sending out good vibes that change is under way. He must keep this momentum going, against all odds.

Among his first moves was to forgo his prime minister’s salary. While a populist decision that will not tackle inequality and high rising prices, it is nevertheless a campaign promise fulfilled. This symbolic move though signals that he is sensitive to the struggles facing ordinary Malaysians.

In this age of social media and in the wake of recent corruption scandals, Malaysian netizens scrutinise the smallest details of their leaders’ lifestyles, including the brands of their T-shirts, shoes, and even pens: the fact that Anwar used a cheap Artline black pen favoured by students at his swearing-in quickly went viral and the pen is selling out.

Malaysia’s newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (front right) attends the swearing-in ceremony at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur on November 24. Photo: Xinhua

Netizens are quick to compare details like the prices of politicians’ clothes and any expressions of lavish lifestyles will not be well tolerated. Anwar must now convince his cabinet colleagues, his party, and family members to follow in his footsteps.

Anwar’s decision not to draw a salary is in sync with his desire to trim the cabinet. In March 2020, his Pakatan Harapan coalition criticised Muhyiddin Yassin’s oversized 70-member cabinet.

Since the Pakatan Harapan cannot form the government without support from its opponents, Anwar would not want to be seen dishing out cabinet positions in exchange for loyalty.

He has pledged not to succumb to that practice, but since several coalitions have indicated an interest in filling the deputy prime minister post, he had to settle for an unprecedented two deputies in Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Fadillah Yusof.

Going forward, the prime minister must discontinue the practice of appointing MPs to lead government-linked companies.

Malaysia’s PM Anwar ‘can’t be distracted’ amid economic woes, US-China rivalry

Anwar is right in accepting a confidence motion when parliament sits on December 19. This is after his rival, former premier Muhyiddin, claimed he had majority support from MPs to form the government as the king deliberated whom to appoint prime minister. In his presentation to the palace, Muhyiddin attested to having 115 statutory declarations supporting his candidacy for the top job.

With Anwar’s confidence motion, Malaysians can openly witness their MPs’ support for the new leader. After all, the country practices a system of constitutional, not absolute, monarchy. In contrast, when Muhyiddin was prime minister between March 2020 and August 2021, he repeatedly deflected calls for a confidence vote against him, raising doubts about his claims of a parliamentary majority.

Anwar has not belittled his opponents, Muhyiddin and Mahathir Mohamad, after his appointment. Such personality attacks could have opened old wounds and invited counter-attacks from them, which will distract him from resuscitating the economy, eradicating corruption, and implementing institutional reforms. Mahathir, who was heavily defeated, has congratulated Anwar in a Facebook post. Mahathir has indicated that he wants to spend more time writing about history.

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Could this be the moment when the long-standing roller-coaster relationship between the two leaders shifts to their being friends again? It should be noted that Malaysia’s economic reform agenda was at its most effective when the two were allies.

While Anwar should not stoke personal rivalries, it does not mean that he should turn a blind eye to his potential allies’ alleged wrongdoings. Malaysians will closely watch whether Anwar fulfils his promise not to interfere with the judicial process.

This will include the ongoing court cases involving politicians suspected of corruption who are part of his unity government, such as United Malays National Organisation (Umno) president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Malaysia United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president Syed Saddiq, and former Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary general Lim Guan Eng. Anwar must be even-handed when dealing with those in his coalition, so that he would not be accused of going on a witch-hunt against only his opponents.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a press conference after the Special Meeting of the National Livelihood Action Council at the Prime Minister’s office on November 27. Photo: BERNAMA/dpa

Anwar has also started to court the civil service. On November 27, the heads of the civil service sacrificed their weekend to meet Anwar on a Sunday, which Anwar publicly acknowledged. Anwar must now win over the civil servants’ trust. One way is to continue to fulfil the promises made by the previous government. These include increasing their allowances, transferring contract officers to permanent positions, and increasing military officers’ welfare benefits.

Anwar’s dilemma, however, is that his promise to the public to reduce the size of government and ministries might jeopardise civil servants’ rice bowls. Another hurdle is the trimming of oversized but politically sensitive bureaucracies such as the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM).

A considerable segment of Malay/Muslim voters supported the Perikatan Nasional bloc because of its component party, now the largest party represented in parliament, Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS). PAS has staunchly refused to join Anwar’s coalition.

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As Anwar seeks to improve his legitimacy with the Malay/Muslim electorate, cutting JAKIM down to size may create a strong backlash from the more conservative Malay/Muslims.

Anwar has made significant steps in a matter of days. His leadership is now key for the country to remain on course to reform and to heal the polarised nation. How he tackles the woes of the underclass, which is closely associated with Malay/Muslim voters, is likely to define his premiership. Anwar must tread carefully as these voters voted for his rival Muhyiddin in droves.

He has already started addressing some difficult questions. Next up are even touchier issues regarding race and religious identity. There is no doubt that Anwar has oratorical and public relations skills in abundance; the question is whether he can address the exclusivist religious and racial orientations disrespectful of Malaysia’s multicultural demography during his watch.

Norshahril Saat is a Senior Fellow and Coordinator at the Regional Social & Cultural Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. This article was originally published as ‘Malaysia’s New PM: The Need to Get It Right for the Country’ on ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute’s commentary site fulcrum.sg.