‘Anwar’s last stand’? Johor poll puts Malaysia’s long-time opposition chief to the test

With key vote looming, infighting within the Pakatan Harapan alliance threatens to further loosen the grip of Anwar Ibrahim on the country’s progressive political force

Critics say the vote will expose how he has become a divisive rather than unifying force, blaming his reluctance to make way for younger blood and the hubris of his PKR

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Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: EPA

Published: 9:00am, 17 Feb 2022Updated: 10:16am, 17 Feb 2022

For weeks, the intensifying backbiting within Malaysia’s Pakatan Harapan opposition alliance ahead of an impending state poll in Johor had supporters and analysts alike wondering if the event would mark the beginning of the end for the bloc.

On social media and in media commentaries, lower-level lieutenants of the alliance’s three constituent parties sniped at each other over various issues, from seat allocations, the leadership of the bloc’s chief Anwar Ibrahim and the use of a common symbol for the March 12 vote.

Adding to Pakatan Harapan’s headaches was the 11th-hour decision to contest the polls by the ascendant Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), a youth-centric party led by the charismatic ex-minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

Some observers had suggested Muda’s rising popularity could pose a major threat to the three Pakatan Harapan parties – Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), the Democratic Action Party and Parti Amanah Rakyat (Amanah).

Then, on Monday – Valentine’s Day – the four party leaders presented a united front as they launched their joint machinery for the election.

The poll was voluntarily triggered by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Barisan Nasional alliance as a means of shoring up its clout following strong showings in similar bypolls last year.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Photo: AP