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It’s not been the best of weeks for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government. While a “3-3” result at Saturday’s polls in six of Malaysia’s 13 states might represent a status quo in terms of who controls the state governments, the ruling parties ceded ground, losing the two-thirds supermajority they enjoyed in Selangor for two terms and even ending up empty-handed in Terengganu.
Then on Tuesday, Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin had four of his seven graft charges thrown out, in a development that will deepen the belief that such allegations – not just against the former premier but his opposition colleagues as well – are politically motivated.
Much of the losses for Datuk Seri Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its ally, the Umno-led Barisan Nasional, stemmed from the Malay Muslim majority continuing to shift towards PN.
But with the federal government already having made several moves to woo Malay voters in recent weeks – often to the chagrin of PH’s more liberal support base – it remains to be seen whether Mr Anwar will now pivot further towards conservatism or pursue long-vaunted reforms.
Now that the unprecedented early “mid-terms” for the Anwar administration are done and dusted, the government has breathing room until 2027, when the current Parliament term expires, to implement its policies and watch them bear fruit.
Follow ST’s coverage as we continue to bring you the latest developments and thank you for reading The Straits Times.
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