Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s longtime opposition leader, was sworn in as prime minister, ending political deadlock in the Southeast Asian nation.
The new PM was sworn in by Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah on Thursday. Anwar has been the deputy prime minister and a political prisoner twice.
Anwar Ibrahim has promised to lead a government inclusive of everyone in the multiethnic, multi-religious nation.
At his first press conference, the 75-year-old veteran politician detailed his plans for the country.
He vowed to give up his prime ministerial salary and said he will tackle Malaysia’s rising cost of living and combat corruption. Ibrahim said his government would “guarantee and safeguard the rights of all Malaysians, especially the marginalized and impoverished, regardless of race or religion”.
He also stressed the importance of reform, saying “We will never compromise on good governance, the anti-corruption drive, judicial independence and the welfare of ordinary Malaysians.”
Securing the top appointment of Malaysia was a remarkable comeback for Ibrahim, who spent nearly thirty years in the opposition, including one decade in prison on sodomy and corruption charges, which according to him were politically driven.
Anwar’s appointment brings to an end five days of unprecedented post-election crisis, but could lead to a new instability with his rival, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, challenging him to prove his majority in parliament.
Who is Anwar Ibrahim?
Anwar Ibrahim, founder of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (known by its acronym ABIM), began his political career as a student activist. At first, he started leading protests against rural poverty and on other socio-economic causes in the country.
Eventually, his political influence caught the eye of then premier Mahathir Mohammad, who convinced him to join the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party.
In his role as finance minister, Ibrahim independently executed decisions concerning the country’s governance, which in many ways helped Malaysia weather the Asian financial crisis.
However the worsening situation of 1990’s financial crisis deteriorated the relationship between Mahathir and Ibrahim so much that in September 1998 Anwar was fired and accused of corruption and sodomy.
Anwar’s arrest at that time lead to thousands of protests across the country claiming it was politically motivated. As a result, according to a BBC report, his conviction was overturned in 2004, and Anwar returned to politics.
He then led his own reformist party that came close to beating the UMNO in the 2013 election. But once again, new sodomy charges were filed against him, and he was jailed in 2015.
Later in 2018, Anwar was named the official prime minister-in-waiting but was again denied the post after clashes with Mahathir. Amid the instability, Najib’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) returned to government, although Najib himself was convicted and sent to jail in relation to multibillion-dollar corruption scandal at state fund 1MDB.