Weak Malay support continues to plague PM Anwar’s government as ‘Dubai Move’ talk refuses to die
- PM Anwar Ibrahim is using the ‘Dubai Move’ talk to divert attention from his administration which is riddled with ‘incompetence’, says one opposition MP
- Analysts say the government’s poor ratings among Malays stems from a failure to convince them their rights will continue to be protected by Anwar’s multiracial administration
Threadbare support among Malaysia’s ethnic Malay majority continues to stalk Anwar Ibrahim’s administration, experts say, shaping the prime minister’s policies as his second year in power starts with rumours of an attempt to oust him after a clandestine meeting in Dubai.
Talk of a so-called “Dubai Move” surfaced in late December after anti-corruption authorities seized control of a skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur as part of a corruption probe into Daim Zainuddin, a veteran politician and businessman close to ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad.
Mahathir, 98, is Anwar’s former mentor who became a political nemesis, with the pair known to share a rancorous relationship despite the senior man being deep into his twilight years.
On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government received intelligence reports confirming the meeting in Dubai, including flight details of people said to have attended the meeting.
At least two unnamed MPs from Anwar’s ruling coalition joined the meeting, a senior government official said, accusing the opposition of discussing plans to bribe pliable backbenchers and orchestrate mass defections to topple the government.
On Wednesday, Anwar told reporters he had read reports about the “Dubai Move” yet swiftly squashed its impact, saying it “will not have any effect” on his government, which instead is focused on the country’s development and public welfare.
Yet in Malaysia’s treacherous politics, which has seen five prime ministers in as many years, talk of a plot has set off new rounds of speculation, recrimination and further scheming.