At least three men have been officially named as candidates to become Malaysia’s next Prime Minister: Anwar Ibrahim, Ismail Sabri and Muhyiddin Yassin. The political fate of the ‘AIM’ trio will be decided by Malaysian electorate in Saturday’s election. While pollsters are divided whether a single coalition led by each of these leaders will be able to configure a majority, they emphatically edge Anwar Ibrahim as nation’s first choice as Prime Minister
The 75-year-old politician is one of the top favourites into Saturday’s closely-fought general election. Long perceived as the heir apparent of Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar remains on top of Malaysian pollster projections with up to 33 per cent people choosing him as their choice of Prime Minister. Pollsters, however, remain divided on whether his Pakatan Harapan multi-ethnic coalition will win the majority or not.
Anwar last came close to being Prime Minister in 2020 but a power struggle in his coalition denied him the chance. His more than two decades as an opposition figure have included nine years in jail for sodomy and corruption, charges he says were politically motivated.
He was released from prison in 2018 after joining with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, both his mentor and long-time rival, to defeat Barisan Party for the first time in Malaysia’s history amid public anger at the government over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.
That coalition collapsed after 22 months in power due to infighting over a promise by Mahathir to hand the premiership to Anwar. Muhyiddin briefly became Prime Minister. But his administration collapsed last year, paving the way for Barisan Party’s return to power with Ismail Sabri Yaakob at the helm.
The 62-year-old Malaysian politician of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) is serving as country’s ninth Prime Minister since August 2021, following the resignation of his predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin.
Ismail’s administration saw an increase in GDP growth from 5% in the first quarter to 8.9% in the second quarter and 14.2% in the third quarter – the highest achievement in Southeast Asia. Yakoob has campaigned on his administration’s record in bringing economy back on track following the pandemic.
He is one of three UMNO vice presidents. He is grappling a power struggle with party President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for most of the 14 months he has been in power.
The 75-year-old, who was treated for pancreatic cancer in 2018, saw Malaysia through much of the COVID-19 pandemic but was criticised for the hardship caused by prolonged lockdowns, border closures and his decision to impose an emergency and suspend parliament. More than 36,000 people have died from the disease in Malaysia.
Appointed as premier amid a political crisis, Muhyiddin served for 17 months and resigned after losing parliamentary support, making him the shortest-serving prime minister in Malaysian history. Muhyiddin was eventually removed as a result of more political maneuvering in 2021.
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
