Will Anwar Ibrahim actually succeed Mahathir Mohamad as Malaysia’s next Prime Minister? That question has dominated Malaysian politics for months, and the opposition’s high-flying Khairy Jamaluddin – an ex-minister who was once viewed as prime minister material – says he has had to deal with the poser even though he is now far from the corridors of power.
IT HAS HUGE IMPLICATIONS ON SUCCESSION PLANNING AND ON STABILITY FOR MALAYSIA – Khairy Jamaluddin
The speculation has risen amid whispers from within the government that Anwar, prime minister-in-waiting according to an agreement within the coalition that won last year’s election, fears 93-year-old Mahathir has no plans to hand power to him.
Speaking at a conference in Singapore, Khairy, who was a key member of the defeated Najib Razak government, said the issue was top of the minds of many politics-savvy Malaysians.
“That seems the only thing that the political chattering class seems to ask me about,” Khairy quipped when asked the question at the Regional Outlook Forum, which was organised by the Lion City’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
“It has huge implications on succession planning and on stability for Malaysia simply because Dr Mahathir is the age at which he is at,” the 42-year-old former youth and sports minister said.
While Anwar and Mahathir have stressed their pre-election pact is intact, commentators have been unable to resist comparing the current scenario to 1998.
At the time Mahathir, then in his first stint in power, abruptly sacked his deputy prime minister, Anwar, from government.
Anwar, 71, was jailed over corruption and sodomy charges, despite scepticism from international observers.
Khairy Jamaluddin says questions about prime ministerial succession are ‘the only thing that the political chattering class seems to ask me about’. Photo: Nora Tam
Upon his release in 2004, Anwar galvanised the opposition and made bids for the premiership in the 2008 and 2013 polls – failing both times by close margins.
He was once more jailed in 2015, this time during Najib’s tenure but again over a dubious sodomy charge.
The opposition triumphed in last May’s polls after Mahathir, at age 92, crossed the aisle and allied himself with arch-enemies such as Anwar in a bid to defeat the scandal-tainted Najib.
With his long history of being within touching distance of the premiership but never attaining it, his political prospects are sometimes a matter of dark amusement in Malaysia.
Khairy, the opposition politician, invoked some of that humour when asked about Anwar.
“Yes, I think he should be prime minister for a few reasons … One, if he doesn’t become prime minister, we will not hear the end of it. He cannot move on and we cannot move on,” he said, to roars of laughter.
“Prince Charles and Anwar are the longest, you know … ” Khairy added, trailing off as the audience lapped up the joke comparing the Malaysian politician with the long-serving British crown prince.
He was also asked if there were people actively plotting against Anwar. Kishore Mahbubani, a high-profile Singaporean former diplomat, wanted to know if Mahathir’s stalwart ally Daim Zainuddin and Azmin Ali, a cabinet minister, were among these conspirators.
Anwar in Pakatan Harapan is the only person who can manage to navigate around identity politics in Malaysia, according to Khairy. Photo: EPA
Azmin is a long-time Anwar loyalist who helped set up the democracy icon’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (National Justice Party) when he was jailed in 1999, but there have been signs of increasing friction between the two in recent months.
Responding to Kishore, Khairy said: “I think you could be right. There is a lot of chatter to say that there are some people around Dr Mahathir who still remain uncomfortable with Anwar.”
But while he described Anwar as someone with various shortcomings including being “outdated” and “somebody who has not had a job for 20 years” (because of his two jail stints), Khairy said the older politician was still the best bet to lead Malaysia after Mahathir.
He added: “[Anwar] speaks the language of modernity and he speaks the language of tradition, especially when it comes to Islam, and also the Malay identity.
“As long as identity politics remains an important marker in Malaysian politics … I think possibly Anwar in Pakatan Harapan is the only person who can manage to navigate around identity politics and prevent it from becoming something that is uglier than it potentially could be.”
– https://www.scmp.com
I have been to hell and back and again, hell and back: Anwar Ibrahim
Few politicians could have scripted a comeback of the kind Datuk Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim has made. He has been elected back to Parliament 20 years after being imprisoned on charges of homosexuality and sodomy by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad in 1998. Mr. Ibrahim, who was acquitted in the case and later received a full royal pardon, partnered Dr. Mahathir in elections as part of the Pakatan Harapan (Alliance for Hope) that came to power in May 2018, and has been named the successor to Mr. Mahathir, who says he will step down before May 2020. Mr. Ibrahim says ties with India are well below potential and must be strengthened.
You have visited India in the past, and now are here as part of the government headed by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad. How do you see bilateral ties with India going forward?
I think Malaysia established strong ties under PMs [Atal Bihari] Vajpayee and Dr. Manmohan Singh to the present, but the progress in recent years under [former Malaysian PM] Najib has been small compared to what we hoped to achieve in terms of trade and investment, in comparison to the ties with China, for example. The potential for India is much more. PM Modi was one of the first to travel to Kuala Lumpur after Dr. Mahathir was sworn in, and I met him for very good discussions. During my visit here, I have met with [Congress president] Rahul Gandhi who said he was studying the Malaysian Opposition (win)…(Laughs), and also stressed the importance of trade and cultural ties, which I will also speak to Prime Minister Modi about [during the meeting on Thursday].
One big thorn in the side of the relationship is the presence of Zakir Naik, a preacher accused of hate speech in India and of inciting terrorists to carry out an attack in Bangladesh. Has India raised this with you during Prime Minister Narendra’s Modi’s visit or otherwise, and are there any assurances your government will give?
This has not been raised with me personally. We do not subscribe to all allegations unless we are furnished with the details. We would need some evidence to the effect. Malaysia has been tough on terrorism, and if we are given incontrovertible evidence that someone has been involved, we would not tolerate it.
The government has sent an official request for Mr. Naik’s deportation. Yet to the disappointment of many in Delhi, Dr. Mahathir even met him and then said publicly that he would not be deported. Surely, the Indian request could have been considered.
The meeting took place prior to that request. The authorities are yet to be given formal evidence. Yes, there is a request from India, but we don’t act purely on a request unless there is also a strong compelling case. We do not condone any form of terror.
What are the other regional issues India and Malaysia can work on together?
Well, I feel India as a democracy in the region should take a more positive leadership role, and I have said that I am disappointed that India has taken a position on Myanmar for example that business first and human rights in the background, both when Aung San Suu Kyi, and now with the Rohingya, we hoped India would be the voice of reason and champion the cause of justice.
To come to government formation, most were surprised to see you and Dr. Mahathir, the man who imprisoned you, come together to fight elections. Have there been any regrets about the decision?
No, because we did succeed in toppling the corrupt regime and we now are dealing with the huge financial problems left behind. Also Dr. Mahathir has announced a major programme of agenda. Of course, there are concerns amongst our younger supporters, including my daughter [Nurul Izzah Anwar] who has now left party positions out of growing disenchantment, and we have to concede that people expect more from our government. The abdication of the King, although it is a separate issue, also came at a time which made it seem as if the government was in trouble. But to the credit of Tun Mahathir, he has given a clear direction to the government.
How difficult was it to enter the partnership itself … did you need to forgive Mr. Mahathir?
I am not a hypocrite, and I will say that it was a difficult decision and equally painful to my wife and children who had suffered so much. I told them we have to look forward for the country’s sake. Azizah [his wife] was committed, went ahead in the campaign. The problems faced by the country were more acute than the problems I faced. Being in jail, solitary confinement, the assault by the police chief, the humiliation of sexual and treason allegations were all very hard, but eventually we won. Despite all the money, judiciary, etc., stacked against us, one cannot stop the will of the masses.
You are now in a strange sort of limbo, as the Prime Minister-in-waiting. Yet no one really knows when the handover from PM Mahathir will be. Do you know?
Yes, both PM Mahathir and I have agreed and the party has agreed that it won’t be more than two years (May 2020), but I said it is important that we shouldn’t announce the date. We want PM Mahathir to effectively run the country with full support, not as a lameduck. We need to be united and focus on the serious economic problems.
You have already been through 20 years of very trying times. Isn’t two years a long time to wait?
(Laughs) It’s only eight months since I was released, and I really do want to take my time, travel, meet people without all the protocol. These things would be lost once I take a position of power, and I just need some space to study what I need to do.
Do you worry however, that you may never become PM?
I am 71 years old, and I have been to hell and back and hell and back again, so I am not overly concerned about the future.
I know people think politicians don’t mean that, but I do. Que Sera Sera (What will be, will be).
What about the role of your wife, Deputy PM Wan Azizah… Will she have to step down when you become PM?
Yes, she has said she wants to step down when I assume office because she feels it will not be proper. She will continue to play her role, especially for health and culture and welfare.
One of the first big decisions made by the Mahathir government was to cancel three major Chinese infrastructure projects that were part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Is the government considering withdrawing from the BRI as well?
No. I visited China after PM Mahathir’s visit, and said we had issues with some of the projects that were exorbitant. Dr. Mahathir also said that we are not against China, we want Chinese investments, but the BRI projects we cancelled were not viable for us.
How will you embark on economic reforms given the massive $250 billion debt that Malaysia has incurred?
The main issue is governance. With proper investment we can resolve our issues.
The debt may be huge but the fundamentals are strong for a trading nation, a net exporter of petroleum like Malaysia.
I hope we can work more aggressively with India on increasing trade and investment as well.
– https://www.thehindu.com
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