Photo by You Le on Unsplash
Following GE15, many expected a change in Malaysia’s political climate. With the previously incumbent government, led by the United Malays National organisation (UMNO), who was part of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, initially declaring their desire to be the opposition, many would expect a drastic change in Malaysia’s future. However is that truly the case?
As Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition, Pakatan Harapan, attained the most seats, many did expect him to be leading the government, However, after rumours initially that Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional could form a majority government alongside Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), there was a lot of speculation that Muhyiddin would be the next prime minister. After much uncertainty, Malaysia’s King finally put a stop to the uncertainty and appointed Anwar as Malaysia’s Prime Minister.
Recently, Anwar announced his new cabinet, which includes UMNO chairman Zahid Hamidi as the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), a shock to many who had voted for Anwar. Malaysians have preached principles over politics and clearly this was a move against Anwar’s key principles. As for Anwar’s promises, the question remains, Will that be fulfilled?
First, corruption was one key issue he vowed to resolve. Corruption is certainly a contentious issue, but Anwar’s act of appointing Zahid as the DPM is a massive step back from resolving corruption. Zahid had been in jail and convicted over his links to the 1MDB scandal. Thus, there is great doubt in Anwar’s ability to resolve corruption. However, observers of Malaysian politics might not be appalled, considering how there has been talks between Anwar and Zahid since a year ago, and they have had close ties dating back to their UMNO days. For Malaysians wishing for Anwar to resolve UMNO’s corruption, they might have to dampen their hopes. Nonetheless, the economic success of this Malaysian regime might not require a strong and successful anti-corruption campaign. This is so as we have seen growth in Malaysia despite corruption. Even in other countries like Indonesia under Suharto, there was growth and prosperity alongside corruption. However, it is certainly not a great political message to send to Anwar’s supporters.
However, there was some success for Anwar in his political reform, with the representation of the Borneo community, as he appointed Fadillah Yusof from GPS as his second DPM. This was certainly a historic move, considering that this was the first DPM from Borneo, so it is a step in the right direction to ensure greater representation of other parts of Malaysia. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that he only had to do so to strengthen support and his coalition. It remains to be seen whether there will be concrete improvements of the lives of those in Borneo. Apart from that, some analysts do argue that Anwar did secure other major posts for those who are part of the PH coalition, like defence, home affairs and finance.
Second, Anwar’s economic promises to improve standards of living remain to be seen. His aims had been to tackle inflation, rising costs and support the low-income households better. Whether those aims are answered would depend on the economic policies that Finance Minister Anwar and his regime unveils in the next budget. Recently, there have been signs of hope, since the Malaysian ringgit strengthened against the US Dollar and confidence in the Malaysian economy has risen slightly. However, there should be concerns raised about Anwar’s role as Finance Minister, because questions on transparency and accountability will surface.
Thirdly, in terms of Anwar’s social policies, there are a lot of promises to improve the rights of women, improve social mobility and also improve education opportunities. Most importantly, national unity. The elections have polarised Malaysia, and now it is up to Anwar to unite Malaysia once again. As he titled his cabinet the unity government, it will be interesting to see if that can be manifested in the Malaysian masses.
In conclusion, Anwar’s success and Malaysia’s prosperity will depend on the ministers themselves, depending on their policies and how accountable they are to the masses. Only time will determine whether the ill-fated partnership of PH and BN can help to resolve Malaysia’s pressing issues. Questions remain on the unity of the government and Malaysia, and whether there will be any changes as UMNO continues to be part of the government and play an influential role in Malaysian politics.
References
Comments