Malaysia: PM navigating with foes within his own cabinet

MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has unveiled a potential game-changer in the lead-up to the Negeri Sembilan campaign, rattling dissidents within his own Cabinet who are actively opposing him on the ground.

Anwar has said that by next week, he is releasing a damning report on the Tabung Haji (TH).

On July 24, he announced that the government is preparing to release the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into TH.

The report details investigations into the fund’s past management, operational issues, and asset stewardship.

The first result of the announcement is that some UMNO members are actively pushing Anwar to release the report, believing it will exonerate their leaders.

However, in the pro-Anwar camp, there is wind that the report will lay heavily on UMNO and its leaders for the mismanagement of billions of ringgit from the Tabung Haji business.

Tabung Haji is a ‘sacred’ tool seen by Malays as the gateway to salvation as it helps bring them to perform their once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Speculation is mounting over how the upcoming report will affect UMNO and its leaders, as many eagerly wait to see its findings on the alleged misallocation of billions in pilgrimage funds.

But while we tackled the issue of etiquette and moral standards in another op-ed, we will now tackle the issue of renegades who belong to the same government headed by Anwar.

Yet, as recent events demonstrate, these same figures are openly challenging Anwar’s authority in the state elections.

By rallying opposition factions to their side, they carry on as though their actions are neither morally bankrupt nor teetering dangerously on the edge of political betrayal.

Heading towards the fifth year in power, Anwar now faces dissent within the Madani government as UMNO and Barisan Nasional openly embrace Perikatan Nasional (PN) and the Islamists, Pas.

UMNO leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi took time to pen a Malay oral poem which consists of 4 lines and has a rhythmical tone to tell Anwar that, in the end, he will stick to the done deal from 2022.

That is, UMNO and BN will remain in the Madani government until the end of the term, which may come as soon as the end of this year or early next year.

The message from Zahid came after Anwar penned his own oral poetry urging Zahid not to break the friendship or deal made between them.

Anwar wrote the four lines after Zahid lashed at him over his remarks that any minister who attacks the Madani government in the state elections should quit.

Zahid fiercely replied that if Anwar did not like the UMNO ministers, he should fire them.

Friction between UMNO and Pakatan Harapan (PH) escalated significantly after PKR Youth demanded that UMNO ministers resign from the Cabinet if they intend to collaborate with PAS in the Negeri Sembilan state elections.

Amid this turbulence, PH’s frustration is understandable. Former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin previously noted that PH relied on Barisan Nasional’s (BN) backing to form the ruling coalition; yet, Anwar Ibrahim has repeatedly aimed at corrupt leadership, leading critics to view his rhetoric as an attack on UMNO.

To be fair to Anwar, he has carefully avoided naming UMNO or BN directly as the source of historical graft.

Instead, he appears to target specific individuals without explicitly naming them—a tightrope walk meant to retain UMNO’s support while convincing voters that his Malaysia Madani administration is tough on corruption.

Nevertheless, the irony remains stark: Anwar presides over an administration where Cabinet ministers actively attack the government on the campaign trail, sharing platforms with the opposition while dancing with Islamists to the tune of BN’s theme song.