When Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim addressed a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, he had an important announcement to make: he had been to see the country’s King, and had provided documents to prove that he had a “convincing” and “formidable” majority in Parliament. Malaysians are now wondering whether their eternal prime minister-in-waiting is finally on the cusp of the top job that has eluded him for over two decades; or whether this was a last throw of the dice by a 73-year-old man who fears he is running out of time.
If anyone expected Mr Anwar to be named prime minister the same day, they were to be disappointed. Malaysia’s constitutional monarch, Sultan Abdullah of Pahang, will consult meticulously with party leaders to see if Mr Anwar’s numbers add up. In February, when the Pakatan Harapan government that won the 2018 election fell, the King interviewed every MP in the 222-seat lower house to check that the man who took over as Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, had a majority. This time he could decide to see how Parliament votes on the annual budget in November.
Malaysia's King, Sultan Abdullah, hosted Anwar Ibrahim earlier this week. But he will need time to determine whether Anwar can form the next government. AFP
If Mr Muhyiddin loses that vote – and given that he never had more than a very slim majority, it is possible that he will – there could be a general election, which would be hugely unpopular.
This is not least because the third wave of Covid-19 that Malaysia is currently experiencing, which has led to new lockdowns in parts of the country, is generally blamed on politicians returning from the election in the state of Sabah last month. So whether Sultan Abdullah appoints Mr Anwar as prime minister or decides to make him prove that he has a majority in Parliament, we are likely to know the result either way within a few weeks.
If Mr Anwar does succeed, it would be the apex of a tumultuous career. Formerly known as the firebrand leader of a student Islamic group, Mr Anwar was handpicked by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who led Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and then 2018 to 2020, and soared up the ranks of the Barisan Nasional coalition that ruled the country from 1957 until the 2018 election. He became deputy prime minister and an heir apparent feted by western leaders who seemed prepared to overlook his links to radical Islamists. But in 1998, Mr Anwar fell out with his mentor and was dismissed and then jailed.
He left Barisan Nasional and later rallied a disparate and shifting opposition alliance to win the popular vote, but not a majority of seats, in the 2013 election. Subsequently jailed again, Mr Anwar was named as the successor to Dr Mahathir (who had also switched to the opposition) if Pakatan Harapan won in 2018. When it did, Mr Anwar received a royal pardon and was re-elected to Parliament, but he was denied the premiership once again when it became clear that Dr Mahathir had no intention of giving way to his former protege. The Pakatan Harapan government collapsed early this year, partly over that issue, when Mr Muhyiddin led a breakaway group into an alliance with MPs from Barisan Nasional and the Islamist party PAS.
Muhyiddin Yassin has been Malaysia's Prime Minister since February, but he is leading a rickety coalition. Reuters
Mr Anwar leads the 91 MPs who remain within Pakatan Harapan. If there were some scepticism when he first announced his plan to take over the government last month, that was because he had made a similar claim – in 2008 – that he could induce Barisan Nasional MPs to join him to change the government. He certainly had many discussions – I was in a house in Kuala Lumpur one evening where he was trying to persuade senior Barisan Nasional politicians to cross over – but in the end nothing came of it. This time Mr Anwar seems extremely confident. And crucially Zahid Hamidi, the president of Barisan Nasional's most important party, the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), said he had been told that “a big chunk of Umno and Barisan Nasional MPs have voiced their support” for Mr Anwar. Far from condemning them for seeking to abandon Mr Muhyiddin's government, which Umno has been propping up, Mr Zahid continued: “I respect the decision made by these MPs.”
It has even been suggested that Najib Tun Razak, the Barisan Nasional’s last prime minister, may have given the nod to his supporters in Umno to help Mr Anwar gain his “formidable” majority. Given that Mr Anwar’s last jailing was under Mr Najib’s administration, and Mr Anwar was part of the coalition that unseated him in 2018, that strikes many as extraordinary. Others see all sorts of contradictions. Isn’t Mr Anwar supposed to be a great liberal reformer, whereas Barisan Nasional is more conservative? Mr Anwar leads a multiracial party; Barisan Nasional, by contrast, is dominated by Umno and has always stressed the upholding of Malay rights and privileges.
But this is to ignore three factors.
Until about two decades ago, Najib Razak, Anwar Ibrahim and Mahathir Mohamad were all on the same team. Reuters
While Anwar Ibrahim may be closer than ever to seizing the prize of office, keeping a hold of it and being able to implement a firm agenda may be harder that he could have possibly expected
Firstly, all the key players – including every MP I have mentioned – either are or were members of Umno, and were all in government together in the 1990s or more recently. They have known one another for decades. Politics may be a blood sport in Malaysia, but individually politicians who are nominally fierce opponents may be on quite friendly terms. The exception to this is Dr Mahathir, who is unyielding in his enmity. And the fact that Dr Mahathir has twice undermined Mr Anwar's bid to become prime minister and ejected Mr Najib and Mr Zahid from office in 2018 gives them something else in common.
Secondly, now more than ever Malaysian politics is personality- rather than policy-driven. If it were the latter, then Mr Muhyiddin might be in a more solid position. He has, after all, been a paternal, reassuring figure whom most Malaysians credited with containing the coronavirus, up until the recent outbreak.
Thirdly, while the last election shattered the dominance of the Barisan Nasional, the change of power in February saw Pakatan Harapan shorn of its majority. As it is, Malaysia has an extraordinary multiplicity of parties. Now the ties that formerly bound them have either gone or are weaker than ever. As Sharaad Kuttan, who co-hosts a nightly current affairs show on the local Astro Awani channel, puts it: "We're not going to go back to the stability of the past." His fear is that Malaysia could enter a period of "constantly negotiating alliances" in which "horse-trading becomes the norm".
If that is the case, then while Mr Anwar may be closer than ever to seizing the prize of office, keeping a hold of it and being able to implement a firm agenda may be harder that he could have possibly expected. The same will go for any prime minister. Malaysians may well be fed up of the political rollercoaster, but they had better brace for a bumpy ride ahead.
Sholto Byrnes is an East Asian affairs columnist for The National
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre Power: 150hp Torque: 250Nm Price: From Dh139,000 On sale: Now
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Results
2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)
3pm: Al Yasmeen – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: AS Hajez, Jesus Rosales, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.30pm: Al Ferdous – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Soukainah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
4pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah – Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: AF Thayer, Ray Dawson, Ernst Oertel
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: George Villiers, Antonio Fresu, Bhupat Seemar
5pm: Palma Spring – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Es Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised
General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.
"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.
He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.
As it stands in Pool A
1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
Remaining fixtures
Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am
Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Key findings of Jenkins report
Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Know before you go
Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
