Malaysian politics: as Najib and fellow graft suspects gain strength, what’s next for PM Ismail Sabri?
- The Barisan Nasional coalition is on a high after a sweeping victory in Johor, prompting calls from its Umno stalwarts for an early general election
- Observers suspect former PM Najib is plotting a return to power to exonerate himself from the 1MDB scandal. If so, Ismail Sabri’s future may rest with the opposition
On Saturday, the coalition staged a crushing victory in elections in the country’s second-most-populous state, Johor. That result followed three other statewide polls held since 2020 in which the coalition and its allies had comfortably beaten an increasingly fractured opposition.
In theory, this should reap dividends for Ismail Sabri, who took office last August following the collapse of two short-lived administrations starting from 2020.
But the reality, political observers say, is that the 62-year-old prime minister now faces more pressure from his own party – including ostensible allies such as Najib – to call a snap general election within months.
The Barisan Nasional coalition is dominated by the powerful United Malays National Organisation (Umno), in which Najib has been strengthening his clout even amid his various legal troubles.
When [the prime minister] is being openly treated with disrespect, these are big red flags