Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim’s pro-Palestinian cause risks domestic issues being sidelined

The window for Anwar to enact policies is closing amid his pro-Palestinian campaign, according to government sources

There are concerns that Anwar may become more reliant on the Palestinian issue to win voter support

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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks at the ‘Malaysia Stands with Palestine’ rally in Kuala Lumpur on October 24. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:00pm, 13 Nov 2023

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim risks relegating his domestic reform agenda behind his vocal support for the Palestinian cause, government sources have told This Week in Asia, raising concerns that the window to enact policies and solidify his governing coalition may soon close.

Anwar has been spearheading an unrelenting campaign demanding an end to Israel’s devastating response to the October 7 Hamas incursion, which Israeli officials say killed 1,200 people.

Over the weekend, Anwar flew to Riyadh to attend an emergency Arab-Muslim summit and reaffirm Malaysia’s “ironclad commitment” to the Palestinian cause. He repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire and access to humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of whom were civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The prime minister has taken an all-of-government approach to his pro-Palestine campaign, which has given Malaysia an outsized voice on the international stage calling for an immediate end to the violence.

While Anwar stands to gain considerable political capital in Muslim-majority Malaysia, even his allies are questioning his administration’s focus as various domestic issues seem to have been set aside for now in favour of foreign policy.