Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim’s pro-Palestinian cause risks domestic issues being sidelined

“We honestly don’t know where he’s going with the Palestine campaign,” one of the government sources told This Week in Asia, asking not to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media. “Of course, we (Malaysia) have always been pro-Palestine, but when the school campaign started, we knew it was getting out of hand.”

The source was referring to a video which went viral in late October of teachers and students wrapped in the Palestinian keffiyeh and brandishing toy guns in a Malaysian school.

The incident happened just as the education ministry was holding the Palestine Solidarity Week. It raised concerns among members of Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition that Malaysian children may be taught the wrong values and miss the point of the national campaign.

The saga comes as Anwar is approaching his anniversary in power after having narrowly emerged as premier after an inconclusive general election last November.

His coalition carries a parliamentary supermajority but Anwar still faces the risk of fluid allegiances in the country’s notoriously febrile political scene. Two premiers had stepped down before him within a few years during the pandemic.

Early in his tenure, Anwar unveiled a grand vision of reform, promising a more socially inclusive administration that would fix wasteful spending, provide more jobs and boost income.

Translating those pledges into action has however taken longer than some government officials have expected.

“It has been frustrating. We’re about one year now in power but we haven’t seen any significant decisions being carried out,” a second government source said, also requesting not to be named.

Malaysia will defy US pressure to label Hamas terrorists: PM Anwar

Anwar’s insistence on holding two key portfolios – that of the prime minister and also finance minister – is a major stumbling block for the government as his attention ends up being spread too thinly, the source added.

The prime minister also has a fondness for international engagements, which can leave few opportunities to finalise and sign off on key reforms such as the restructuring of costly fuel subsidies, according to government insiders.

“We are losing the window to make any changes because the longer we wait, the closer we get to another round of elections,” the second source said.

“The only time we can effectively make changes while giving ourselves enough room to manage public opinion is next year, especially if we want to go ahead with things like fuel rationalisation, which will anger so many people.”

The Islamist angle

Anwar’s vigorous fight for the Palestinian cause is not unexpected.

In his youth, he was a strident Islamist – he founded the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim), which led to him being co-opted by his mentor-turned-nemesis Mahathir Mohamad in the early 1980s to blunt the advances of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) at that time.

Mahathir himself is a strong advocate for a Palestinian state, having hosted former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2003 and declared Malaysia’s recognition of Palestine as an independent state in 1988. He was also notorious for his antisemitic diatribes.

Western nations have raised concerns over Malaysia’s dalliances with Hamas, which have seen top leaders of the militant group being invited to Kuala Lumpur despite them being branded as “terrorists” by Israel and much of the West.

03:01

Malaysia’s leader condemns Israel over Gaza strikes as thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally

Malaysia’s leader condemns Israel over Gaza strikes as thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally

Last month, Anwar said Malaysia will not bow to pressure to change its stance on Palestine and Hamas, after revealing that the US had sent at least two formal diplomatic notes asking his government to reconsider its position.

Critics from within Anwar’s own administration worry his staunch pro-Palestine campaign may make him more reliant on winning the support of the Malay-Muslim majority by pandering to this issue.

In last year’s national polls, the federal opposition rode on a “green wave” of voter dissatisfaction, based on the primary colour of PAS, which gave the opposition a formidable all-Malay minority bloc in parliament.

The trend continued in state elections in August, when the opposition swept a significant minority of seats in the country’s richest and most developed state of Selangor and denied Anwar’s allies a two-thirds majority for the first time in 10 years.

But Anwar’s posturing on Palestine is likely more than a mere strategy to win over Malay voters, according to Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri, the head of the political science department at the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Fowl business? Malaysians face higher chicken prices as Anwar eyes subsidy cuts

“This is truly who he is,” Syaza said. “I don’t like to say this is an ‘opportune’ time for him … but it comes at a time when Anwar can use it to show he is committed to the Muslim cause.”

Still, the prime minister’s allies would prefer that he refocuses and spends more of his time to provide much-needed leadership on domestic government policies.

“We’re seen as not really pushing much external communications. We’re losing ground to PAS,” a third source from within Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition said. “We may not feel it now, but if we keep this up, can we confidently say we can win when the general elections come around?”

The longer the Israeli offensive commands Anwar’s attention, the closer the scrutiny of his priorities. But to his staunch supporters, he remains a beacon of hope to steer his coalition and Malaysian politics towards greater stability.

“I can’t really say if he is right or not with his push for Palestine … (but) the way I see it, he’s the best prime minister we’ve ever had,” said e-hailing driver KJ Wong.