Editorial | Anwar is the right leader to put Malaysia back on right track
- Despite the intense distractions of coalition politics and potential racial agitation by the opposition, the country is poised for greater stability and economic development
Anwar Ibrahim seemed destined at times never to become Malaysia’s prime minister. Now, in a remarkable turnaround that ended a post-election impasse, his country has tasked him with managing the political tensions that were factors in his ups and downs from deputy prime minister to morals and corruption convict, protest leader, opposition chief – anything but prime minister.
It is not just the 75-year-old’s domestic political skills that will now be put to the test, but also his statesmanship in striking a balance between relations with the United States and China.
Malaysia’s constitutional monarch, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, appointed Anwar amid acrimony between competing camps after his main rival, Muhyiddin Yasin, declined to form a unity government with Anwar’s multiracial Pakatan Harapan coalition. The king later appealed for national unity by reminding all parties “the winners do not win all and the losers do not lose all”.
Anwar’s initial priorities will be domestic – firstly to pass a budget ahead of the flood season, when his government will need money for relief efforts. Global economic headwinds will intensify the domestic economic focus through inflation and pressure on jobs.
But Anwar remains a globalist by instinct. He can be expected not to be as slavishly pro-American as some of his enemies have cast him. He acknowledged at his first press conference that ties with China will be pivotal and need to be enhanced. This bodes well for continuity of solid Beijing-Kuala Lumpur ties. Malaysia will welcome Chinese investment at a time when the US is distracted domestically. Chinese companies have a long history in Malaysia, with nothing to prevent upscaling.