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Political succession in Malaysia: Heir today, gone tomorrow
While leadership changeover has stalled, reforms to strengthen institutions and oversight need not.
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A fractious Parti Keadilan Rakyat election in May saw the incumbent Rafizi Ramli (right) cede the deputy presidency to Mr Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter Nurul Izzah.
PHOTO: LINKEDIN/ANWAR IBRAHIM
Follow topic:
- Malaysia's premiership is often seized, leading to instability, with four prime ministers since 2018 after the first change of government.
- Anwar Ibrahim has an opportunity to establish a succession plan, but his supermajority is fragile and lacks an obvious heir.
- Leaders fear being forgotten or facing reprisal, incentivising them to overstay, stalling reforms despite pledges for change.
AI generated
Despite accusations of authoritarianism, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was Malaysia’s last leader to hand over power to a predesignated replacement at a predesignated time: Oct 31, 2003.
This, however, came after a history of discarding deputies during his 22-year rule. He eventually turned on the very person he chose to succeed him, the late Tun Abdullah Badawi, who was pressured to resign in 2009.
