Asia | Banyan

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s prime minister, is wasting his opportunity

Having sought the top job for decades, he is making a hash of it

View of Anwar Ibrahim from the back. His fingers are crossed, to show that he won’t be keeping his promises. — Illustration: Lan Truong

Dec 31st 2023

THE MOST enigmatic figure in South-East Asian politics for half a century, Anwar Ibrahim has now served just over a year as Malaysia’s prime minister. Simply holding on to power in that country’s friable politics is a feat. Malaysia’s political parties have in recent years torn themselves apart and prime ministers have come and gone. Mr Anwar, 76, is therefore concentrating on consolidating his ruling coalition. Yet the two questions that loomed over his extraordinary path to power (which included years in jail on politically motivated charges) are now even more salient. What does he stand for? And what will he do with power?

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Anwar Ibrahim disappoints”