Malaysia Edition: Are Malaysia’s institutions facing eroding public trust? | Pig farming banned on Sultan’s decree

Asian Insider: Malaysia Edition helps you connect the dots on the biggest stories playing out in Malaysia every week. Sign up here to get the newsletter in your inbox.

Happy Chinese New Year and Blessed Ramadan to those who are celebrating. This time of year usually sees the news slow down to a near halt. But 2026 had other plans for Malaysia.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s judicial appointments came under the spotlight, especially amid previous allegations of executive interference in the judiciary.

Before the dust settled on that, decisions from years past came back to haunt him, as explosive reports alleging misconduct and outright abuse of power at the anti-graft agency forced the government to set up a high-level investigative committee.

Previously as opposition leader, Datuk Seri Anwar had campaigned in 2022 for Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki to step down over shareholdings that breached civil service rules. But once in power, he renewed Tan Sri Azam’s tenure not once, not twice, but three times – despite growing reports and claims of extortion, corporate manipulation and, ironically, corruption within the agency.

Mr Anwar is also under pressure on other fronts. The Selangor state government, led by his Parti Keadilan Rakyat, was forced to ban pig farming at the Sultan’s direction.

A proposal to restore local elections for the appointment of mayors and councillors has stoked racial tensions, as has a mega-deal in the property and construction sector that Malay nationalists say will further weaken their economic interests.

These controversies come against a backdrop of eroding trust in institutions. Aside from the MACC, the police, military and Immigration Department have all been in the news for the wrong reasons.

As in other parts of the world, some Malaysians’ disenchantment with the authorities is fomenting into an anti-elite wave, leading them to embrace conspiracy theories over the official narrative.

I write about this in an opinion piece linked below, alongside other articles examining how doubts over the establishment’s motives and actions are growing. If you have suggestions for what you’d like to see from our coverage, let us know here.