Anwar’s Latest Bid for Power in Malaysia Fails to Convince King
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will meet the king on Tuesday in to prove he’s got the numbers to form a new government.
(Bloomberg) -- Anwar Ibrahim’s latest push to finally take power in Malaysia appears to be stalled.
The long-time opposition leader claimed on Tuesday that he showed the king evidence of a “convincing majority” of more than 120 lawmakers in the 222-member in parliament. He called on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to resign and said the monarch would now determine whether the opposition leader has enough support from lawmakers to form a new government.
“I have presented a list of a convincing majority of members of parliament who support me to His Majesty,” said Anwar, who first announced on Sept. 23 he had the numbers to take power. “With these documents, it is abundantly clear that we have registered a formidable convincing majority among parliamentarians.”
But less than an hour after Anwar spoke, the palace rebuffed him. It said in a statement that Anwar didn’t submit lawmakers’ names to back up his claim, and the monarch made no reference to interviewing MPs to determine where they stand as he did back in February, when former leader Mahathir Mohamad’s abrupt resignation triggered a round of political turmoil that prompted Muhyiddin to take power with a razor-thin majority.
Instead, the king advised Anwar “to abide by and respect such legal processes enshrined in the Federal Constitution” before stressing the need for the country to unite to fight the coronavirus, according to the statement by Indera Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, the palace’s Comptroller of the Royal Household. It was unclear if he was verifying Anwar’s claims, or what the next step would be.
Investors cheered the developments, with Malaysia’s benchmark stock index rising 0.5% at the close after erasing an earlier decline of as much as 0.4%. The country is facing another surge in virus cases that threaten a rebound in the economy, which shrank 17.1% in the second quarter when the government imposed a national lockdown.
For the moment it appears that Muhyiddin is safe, even though speculation has been rife that he may soon call a snap election due to squabbles in his disparate ruling coalition. In a press briefing later on Tuesday, Muhyiddin kept mum on Anwar while announcing that Malaysia would be a priority recipient of the coronavirus vaccine that China is developing.
“I don’t want to comment on what Anwar did in the palace,” Muhyiddin said in a televised interview. “I leave it to the best judgment of the king.”
For Anwar, the move may be one of his last chances to take power. He was seen as Mahathir’s successor in the 1990s before he was fired in the wake of the Asian Financial Crisis, after which he spent six years in prison on convictions for abuse of power and sodomy. He then joined hands with Mahathir to win the 2018 election, only to see his old rival fail to honor a promise to step aside before the government unraveled. Mahathir said Tuesday he doesn’t support anyone as prime minister.
“This is Anwar’s biggest political gamble today -- he is really throwing all his cards on the table now,” said James Chin, a Malaysian academic who heads the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania. “If he doesn’t make it this round, I think it will be very difficult for him to pull off another coup say in the next one or two years, and he will not be able to do something similar until the next general election.”
A fresh poll may not be far away. Parliament is set to debate Muhyiddin’s federal budget in November, and losing that vote would be similar to losing a vote of no confidence, according to political analyst Wong Chin Huat.
“Then the same cycle of resignation-replacement or dissolution will be repeated,” he said.
Malaysia ruling parties have dismissed Anwar’s move as a tactic to destabilize the country’s politics and began closing ranks around Muhyiddin. His coalition won a key state election last month in Sabah, which is crucial to taking power nationally, though it took heat after the campaign led to a jump in virus cases.
“The king advised Anwar to respect the constitution, a good lesson,” said Annuar Musa, Barisan Nasional secretary general and a party leader of the United Malays National Organisation, which Muhyiddin counts among his biggest supporters. “Let’s focus on fighting Covid-19 and helping the people,” he tweeted.
Still, given how fluid politics has been this year in Malaysia, it’s impossible to rule out Anwar. Not submitting names may all be part of his master plan, according to Awang Azman bin Awang Pawi, a professor at the University of Malaya.
“He didn’t want to reveal the name list to avoid pressure or anyone pulling out at the last minute,” Awang said. “This will take a little bit of time.”
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.