Photo Credit: Facebook/Anwar Ibrahim Malaysia has long been portrayed as a peaceful mosaic of cultures and a fascinating example of Arab, South, and Southeast Asian creolism, as shown in the work of historian Sumit K. Mandal. However, the combination of nearly 90...
CSIS | Spotlight – Malaysia: May 2023
Photo: Rohd Rasfan/ Getty Image The historic alliance between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) to form government last November has left many voters in both coalitions confused. With no less than six state elections to be held by July (in Kedah,...
CSIS | Malaysia’s Backwaters: Women and Children’s Rights
Photo: Annice Lyn/Getty Images After two decades of struggle for democracy, Anwar Ibrahim finally became the 10th prime minister of Malaysia last November. His election comes with very high expectations on human and civil rights reforms. However, after more than 100...
CSIS | Spotlight – Malaysia: April 2023
Photo: Rohd Rasfan/ Getty Image Now that the first 100 days of Anwar Ibrahim’s government are over, the democratic path that the iconic leader of the Reformasi movement had promised to set the country on remains extremely sinuous. Stuck between his allies in the...
The Diplomat | Anwar Ibrahim, Prisoner of Political Allegiances
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim addresses a session of Parliament on March 29, 2023. Credit: Twitter/Anwar Ibrahim Having finally scaled the pinnacle of Malaysian politics, will political compromises undermine Anwar’s dream of a genuinely democratic Malaysia?...
CSIS | Spotlight – Malaysia: March 2023
Photo: Rohd Rasfan/ Getty Image Anwar Ibrahim became the tenth prime minister of Malaysia in November 2022. His popularity is at an all-time high with an approval rating of 68 percent, according to a recent poll by the Merdeka Center. This number at best nuances or at...
CSIS | Spotlight – Malaysia: January 2023
Photo: Rohd Rasfan/ Getty Image Malaysia’s 15th general election did not disappoint and has resulted in a series of unprecedented events. The alliance between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) to form a government and counter the electoral weight of...
CSIS | Anwar Ibrahim: Between Campaign Promises and Real Politics
Photo by Annice Lyn/Getty Images With the rise of Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister and the fall of Mahathir Mohamad, whose once-in-a-lifetime defeat expedited the 97-year-old leader to an overdue retirement, Malaysia has entered a new political era....
Journal of Democracy | The (Final) Rise of Anwar Ibrahim
TAMBUN, MALAYSIA - NOVEMBER 05: Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, also the leader of the Pakatan Harapan (Alliance Of Hope) coalition, greets supporters as he arrives to submit his nomination as a candidate on November 05, 2022 in Tambun, Perak, Malaysia....
CSIS | Spotlight – Malaysia: December 2022
Photo: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images (CSIS) Malaysia has seen a long series of political surprises since the GE15 polling day on November 19. The political fatigue that many Malaysians (and observers) suffered in the run-up to the election did not translate into...