LEGALLY speaking, Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s control of the unity government is likely unassailable. The sixth Bersatu MP has switched side to give his allegiance to Anwar.
The Dubai Move purportedly hatched towards end-2023 by the opposition to topple his government has fizzled. Malaysia Toda Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK) who is the editor of Malaysia Today has even thrown in the towel to argue that Anwar will likely continue to reign for another 10 years.
Among the public however, his approval rating is likely lukewarm at best. If you randomly ask the public regardless of race, class or age group what do they think about Anwar, you will have to ask many people before you find one person who will have something positive to say about him.
If I were to express it, I would say that Anwar’s current status in the eye of the public is as a politician and a man who has a score to settle.
Nobody believes that he is a hero or a reformist or even an above average leader. He is not seen as a figure worth emulating, hence doubts abound if he is capable of solving the nation’s problem or if we can count on him to bring about a meaningful change.
The only reason people abide by him is because (i) we don’t really have other better options; and (ii) we are to an extent supportive of his desire to settle old scores.
Anwar is lucky in that there is no Malay leader in either Pakatan Harapan (PH) or Perikatan Nasional (PH) who can challenge his position despite the undesirable standard of his leadership.
The other top Malay leaders in the country are all weak. As poor as Anwar is as a leader, UMNO’s president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Bersatu’s head honcho Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and PAS’ controversial chief cleric Tan Sri Hadi Awang are even worse.
Anwar is so weak that if incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak was pardoned or current podcast co-host Khairy Jamaluddin could run against Zahid today, he is at risk to lose his job tomorrow.
It is his good fortune that the former Health Minister is nowhere close to returning to UMNO and that Najib is not expected to be released for at least a couple more years.
While Anwar looks like he is just a step or two away from taking down his arch nemesis Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, perhaps he should think twice before moving in for the kill.
At present, most Malaysians are likely to only see Anwar as worth it for his ability to take down the members of the ancient regime like Dr Mahathir and former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin who stubbornly refuse to go gently into the night. If Anwar takes them down now, perhaps it could be hard to see what worth Anwar has to offer the country anymore.
As long as Dr Mahathir is around, people might see the need of having Anwar around too for he is adamant to stand up against the almost a century old nonagenarian.
The minute Anwar takes down Dr Mahathir however, I will bet my last ringgit that all of us will start to look at Anwar while wondering to what purpose do we still have to have him around.
He is old, three quarters of the things he says have to be taken with a pinch of salt, he doesn’t know how to move the economy forward and he is not a uniting force who is capable of uniting the country.
If Anwar takes down Dr Mahathir and if PAS manages to install its technocrat vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as its PM contender, I dare say that the Malays might become more motivated to initiate a Perikatan Nasional (PN) take-over of the government while the non-Malays might not really be that motivated throw that big a fuss if Anwar is toppled.
I think the one saving grace that Anwar will have in the post-Mahathir Malaysia is the successful implementation of the targeted subsidies.
If Anwar’s government does manage to re-balance our economic landscape in a way that assists the poor as they plan to do beginning from the middle of 2024, then maybe Anwar might see the support of the working class which will be enough for him to sustain his administration.
If not, I reckon that it might be well for Anwar to stop desiring to settle his score with Dr Mahathir but instead prays for the twice former premier’s longevity. – Feb 18, 2024
Nehru Sathiamorthy is a roving tutor who loves politics, philosophy and psychology.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Pics credit: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Facebook
