Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has emphasised the need for reforms within the country, stating that Malaysia should change or it is not going to survive. In an in-depth interview with Al Jazeera’s a hundred and one East programme, the 75-year-old leader expressed his dedication to transitioning Malaysia from race-based to needs-based affirmative action policies.
Anwar’s journey to the highest of Malaysian politics has been turbulent. He turned prime minister after the November 2022 elections. Malaysia’s affirmative action insurance policies, which have been in place because the 1970s, give preferential therapy to Muslim Malays and Indigenous peoples in areas similar to jobs, education, and housing. These insurance policies have caused deepening resentment among the many country’s minority Chinese and Indian communities and led many to seek higher opportunities elsewhere.
Anwar believes that Insider -based approach would benefit the Malays greater than the race-based policies, as the latter have been confirmed to be used by a couple of elites and their cronies for their very own acquire. However, implementing such reforms could also be challenging, as Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition didn’t win sufficient seats to type a authorities by itself and depends on an alliance with smaller parties, together with Malaysia’s former ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (National Front), which is led by the Malay-only United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).
Anwar dismissed concerns about differing goals inside his alliance, emphasising the coalition’s core principles of good governance, a robust stance in opposition to corruption and abuse of energy, and economic insurance policies that cater to the frequent man and woman. He additionally claimed that some of the most corrupt political elites in the country are “ganging up with the billions at their disposal” to unseat him, but he isn’t sitting idle and will struggle in opposition to such forces.
Under Anwar’s administration, an anti-corruption drive has already focused powerful opposition figures, such as former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is on trial for cash laundering and abuse of power. Anwar’s own deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, can additionally be facing multiple corruption charges.
Anwar’s position within the case of one other former prime minister, Najib Abdul Razak, has also been scrutinised. Najib was sentenced in 2020 to 12 years in jail for his role within the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal and is now seeking a royal pardon. As de facto federal territories minister, Anwar is a member of the Pardons Board that will evaluate Najib’s software, elevating questions over his neutrality provided that Najib belongs to coalition companion UMNO..