https://www.scmp.com/rss/521986/feed The latest news and top stories on the People’s Justice Party. The People’s Justice Party (PKR) is a centre-left, reformist political party based in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Founded in 2003, it emerged from the Reformasi movement, advocating for social justice, anti-corruption and economic equity for all Malaysians, regardless of background. A key player in the country’s political landscape, PKR is a main partner in the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition. It notably contributed to ending... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan state was pushed deeper into crisis after Barisan Nasional (BN), a key ally in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition government, declared it had secured a simple majority to form a new state administration with the opposition. The move turns an extraordinary palace dispute into the sharpest state-level test yet of Anwar’s fragile ruling alliance, ahead of a national poll due in less than two years. BN, the former ruling coalition led by Umno that ruled Malaysia for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351637/malay-parties-unite-malaysias-negeri-sembilan-test-anwars-fragile-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351637/malay-parties-unite-malaysias-negeri-sembilan-test-anwars-fragile-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 03:41:40 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan The ruling administration of Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan state is on the brink of collapse after a key ally withdrew support on Monday in a spat that has shone the spotlight on increasingly fragile ties within Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition government. Anwar has been facing growing pushback from allies and critics alike in recent months, ahead of national polls due in less than two years. Parties across the aisle are doubling down on contentious issues to bolster support from their... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351528/malaysian-state-crisis-after-umno-pulls-support-chief-minister-royal-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351528/malaysian-state-crisis-after-umno-pulls-support-chief-minister-royal-row?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:39:20 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Singapore’s pushback against negotiating with Iran over access to the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a backlash from Malaysian politicians, who saw its statements as “lecturing” them on how best to secure safe passage through the vital waterway. For the past month, Tehran had all but shut access to the strait – which handles about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments, bound mostly for Asia – in retaliation for deadly strikes by the US and Israel since they launched a war on Iran on February... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349464/malaysia-wont-be-lectured-singapores-refusal-negotiate-over-hormuz-creates-waves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349464/malaysia-wont-be-lectured-singapores-refusal-negotiate-over-hormuz-creates-waves?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:23:33 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A Malaysian minister on Wednesday denied he was the unnamed politician at the centre of fresh allegations in the country’s so-called corporate mafia controversy, amid wide speculation over the individual’s identity. Ramanan Ramakrishnan, human resource minister, and vice-president of the ruling People’s Justice Party (PKR), rejected claims he had taken 9.5 million ringgit (US$2.4 million) in exchange for “helping resolve” the alleged matter. The controversy gained traction following news reports... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3347884/minister-caught-malaysias-corporate-mafia-saga-denies-us24-million-bribe-claim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3347884/minister-caught-malaysias-corporate-mafia-saga-denies-us24-million-bribe-claim?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:15:52 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facing a fresh political test after the family of late former finance minister Daim Zainuddin sued his government over claims they were involved in a plot to topple the administration. The legal challenge is turning what began as a police investigation into a wider debate over whether Anwar’s reformist government is applying its principles consistently or selectively. Critics say the controversy risks complicating one of Anwar’s central claims since... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345982/malaysia-anwars-reformist-image-risk-daim-family-sues-over-zionist-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345982/malaysia-anwars-reformist-image-risk-daim-family-sues-over-zionist-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:29:58 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim may face growing difficulty pushing through major reforms as Malaysia edges closer to its next general election, analysts have said, after a parliamentary setback exposed strains within his broad but fragile ruling coalition. The warning signs emerged when lawmakers failed to pass a constitutional amendment to limit the prime minister’s tenure to two terms – a reform widely expected to succeed given the government’s commanding majority. Anwar’s administration fell... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345410/malaysias-anwar-under-pressure-after-parliamentary-setback-complicates-reform-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345410/malaysias-anwar-under-pressure-after-parliamentary-setback-complicates-reform-push?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 09:00:39 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof The news rippled through Malaysian social media with something close to glee. Nick Adams, the Australian-born, self-described “alpha male” whom US President Donald Trump had nominated as ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, was not coming after all. “They do listen sometimes,” said Muhammad Izuan Ahmad Kasim, a youth leader from the People’s Justice Party who had been among the dozens who marched to the US embassy last July demanding Washington reconsider the appointment. Adams himself offered a very... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3344540/malaysians-cheer-us-drops-alpha-male-ambassador-pick-nick-adams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3344540/malaysians-cheer-us-drops-alpha-male-ambassador-pick-nick-adams?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 04:15:51 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s record on legal reforms has come under scrutiny after a journalist was detained under a colonial-era Sedition Act for asking a “sensitive question” linking the Gaza crisis to the treatment of ethnic Chinese in the Malay-majority country. Rex Tan, 31, a journalist for local news site Free Malaysia Today (FMT), was arrested early on Saturday morning after he asked the question at a public debate five days earlier in Kuala Lumpur. Tan is being investigated... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340390/malaysian-reporters-sedition-arrest-casts-doubts-anwars-reform-record?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340390/malaysian-reporters-sedition-arrest-casts-doubts-anwars-reform-record?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:04:18 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan As Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration swings from one setback to another, his ruling coalition has turned to familiar talking points to regain the support of the country’s ethnic minorities. In the wake of a devastating defeat in the Sabah state election last month, members of Anwar’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition have renewed a push for government recognition of school leaving certificates issued by private Chinese high schools. The call, however, has driven a wedge... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337123/anwars-coalition-revives-malaysian-chinese-school-certification-debate-sparking-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337123/anwars-coalition-revives-malaysian-chinese-school-certification-debate-sparking-row?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 13:08:06 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s former economy minister Rafizi Ramli has renewed his attack on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s reformist agenda, alleging that anti-corruption officers targeted candidates who challenged the leader’s daughter in internal party polls earlier this year. In an episode of his Yang Berhenti Menteri (The Minister Who Quit) podcast streamed on Friday, the Pandan MP and former Anwar ally alleged that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had investigated several contenders for the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335591/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-challenges-anwars-anti-graft-credentials-escalating-feud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335591/malaysian-ex-minister-rafizi-challenges-anwars-anti-graft-credentials-escalating-feud?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 07:52:38 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday vowed not to interfere in corruption investigations into his own political appointees, after a slew of allegations were levelled at close government aides. Last week, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, a senior political secretary to the Prime Minister, was implicated in a mining scandal in the state of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. Shamsul, who resigned from his post just hours after the revelation last Tuesday, is currently being held on remand by the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334880/malaysias-anwar-vows-no-protection-close-aides-corruption-investigations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334880/malaysias-anwar-vows-no-protection-close-aides-corruption-investigations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:30:08 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s anti-graft drive has suffered a setback after a senior aide resigned over corruption claims, piling pressure on a leader already accused of abusing power and putting his ruling party at risk of rupture. Anti-corruption authorities previously mounted a high-profile crackdown against two-time former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, his family and close associates – long seen as untouchables – as part of Anwar’s pledge to dismantle top-level corruption under... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334186/malaysian-pms-war-corruption-hits-snag-top-political-secretary-quits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334186/malaysian-pms-war-corruption-hits-snag-top-political-secretary-quits?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 06:25:06 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia has backed US President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to end the war in Gaza, presenting it as a constructive step towards resolving the two-year conflict and easing humanitarian suffering in the besieged enclave. But the decision has stirred backlash at home, with analysts suggesting that Indonesia – long a vocal supporter of Palestinian statehood – may have stepped into a “diplomatic trap” that benefits Israeli and US interests more than those of Palestinians. “The government’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328242/did-indonesia-fall-diplomatic-trap-over-trumps-gaza-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328242/did-indonesia-fall-diplomatic-trap-over-trumps-gaza-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 10:30:09 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Authorities in Malaysia are hunting the suspect behind a blackmail attempt on at least 10 lawmakers who received emails demanding US$100,000 payments to avoid the release of deepfake sex videos using their likenesses. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the members of parliament were sent similar emails over the weekend demanding that they pay the ransom via a QR code or the clips would be released to the public. The emails included screenshots of videos that the government believes were... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325539/malaysian-mps-targeted-deepfake-sex-video-blackmail-demanding-us100000-payments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325539/malaysian-mps-targeted-deepfake-sex-video-blackmail-demanding-us100000-payments?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 03:53:28 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thailand’s acting prime minister has moved to dissolve parliament, his party said on Wednesday, after the largest opposition party backed a rival candidate to lead the country. The decision – a potentially legally fraught one – could see the kingdom hold fresh elections before the year’s end, just two years after it last went to the polls in May 2023. A power vacuum has consumed Thailand’s top office since Friday, when prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was ousted by the Constitutional Court... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324131/thailand-acting-leader-moves-dissolve-parliament-block-rivals-pm-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324131/thailand-acting-leader-moves-dissolve-parliament-block-rivals-pm-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 03:31:52 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Scrolling through TikTok one evening, I came across a short clip of American comedian Ron Funches asking an audience member why they believed the government had a perfect track record. “Our government is placed in charge of all of its people. I’m a father placed in charge of just one son. And I lie to that … all the time,” he said, using a term from African-American vernacular that he can say but I cannot. Funches’ delivery was biting, but his point resonated – particularly for those of us in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3318512/can-anwar-restore-trust-amid-malaysias-judicial-upheaval?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3318512/can-anwar-restore-trust-amid-malaysias-judicial-upheaval?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 02:30:08 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan A cryptic promise from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has become the latest lightning rod for Malaysia’s restless public, whose patience is wearing thin after months of new taxes, political scandals and economic anxiety. Late on Monday, Anwar posted a stylised silhouette and the words Akan Datang (Coming Soon) across his social media accounts, promising a special gesture of “extraordinary” appreciation for all Malaysians. The post, which was met with widespread derision, appeared just hours after... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318244/whats-anwars-big-surprise-malaysians-dread-more-taxes-or-pardon-najib?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318244/whats-anwars-big-surprise-malaysians-dread-more-taxes-or-pardon-najib?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 05:26:34 +0000 Hadi Azmi,Joseph Sipalan Hadi Azmi,Joseph Sipalan A fresh quandary may be brewing in Malaysia’s ruling People’s Justice Party (PKR), after Deputy President Nurul Izzah Anwar joined a march calling for judicial independence while her party weighs disciplinary action on her peers for demanding an investigation into alleged meddling in the country’s judiciary. Nurul Izzah, the daughter of Prime Minister and PKR President Anwar Ibrahim, joined nearly 1,000 lawyers in a march on the prime minister’s office on Monday afternoon to protest against... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318191/malaysias-ruling-pkr-bind-over-judicial-crisis-after-anwars-daughter-joins-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318191/malaysias-ruling-pkr-bind-over-judicial-crisis-after-anwars-daughter-joins-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:19:30 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi Joseph Sipalan,Hadi Azmi In the calm of his kitchen, Christy Yoong once raised a glass to retirement – good wine, imported cheese and the spoils of a life’s work. But as Malaysia’s new tax regime lands with a thud, even these modest pleasures are slipping out of reach. When Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim unveiled his unexpected tax on imported luxuries in June, he promised the pain would be felt only by the affluent. The intent was clear: shore up government coffers by targeting the better-off. Yet the reality, for many... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317007/malaysias-new-luxury-taxes-hit-middle-class-where-it-hurts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317007/malaysias-new-luxury-taxes-hit-middle-class-where-it-hurts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 00:00:11 +0000