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A little more than a year since taking office, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is getting mixed reviews from political analysts as he tries to balance promised reforms with political reality. Dave Grunebaum has more on this story from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Malaysia – Anwar One Year In Power
HEADLINE: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Gets Mixed Reviews One-Year On
PUBLISHED AT: 11/29/2023 at 11:15am
BYLINE: Dave Grunebaum
DATELINE: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
VIDEOGRAPHER: Dave Grunebaum
SCRIPT EDITORS: Bill Ide, MAS, wpm
VIDEO SOURCES: VOA Original, Reuters, AP, AFP
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV X RADIO ___
TRT: 2:32
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: There is a separate webscript and photos for a slideshow)) ((Intro))
A little more than a year since taking office, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is getting mixed reviews from political analysts as he tries to balance promised reforms with political reality. Dave Grunebaum has more on this story from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.
((NARRATOR))
Anwar Ibrahim rose to power in Malaysia last year after cutting deals with long-time rivals to gain the backing of a majority of parliamentarians.
He has faced the challenges of a pandemic battered economy, inflation and doubters
who questioned if his government would survive after he became the country’s fifth Prime Minister in less than five years.
((Azmi Hassan, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (male in English)))
“When Anwar formed the government last November a lot of pundits or the general population think it will only last two-months or three-months, the government will collapse because the government consisted of 19 different entities, but it lasted for one-year. I think it brings stability.”
((NARRATOR))
Survey results released by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research indicate Anwar’s approval rating has dropped to 50% compared to 68% last December.
Dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the economy has also risen to 43% from 19% as Malaysians deal with the rising cost of living.
((Azmi Hassan, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (male in English) ))
“Yes, I think everything is going up, the food prices, the ordinary things has gone up, but it’s not unique to Malaysia. Anwar has done especially in giving cash aid to the people that most need it. Not only giving cash aid to a wider section of the community but he ups the amount of the cash aid.”
((NARRATOR))
Anwar leads a multi-ethnic coalition. As an opposition leader, he built a reputation as an anti-graft reformer, but critics say he has not followed through since becoming Prime Minister.
Corruption charges against his Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were dropped.
And Anwar has not followed through on calls to soften a quota system for admission to public universities that heavily favors the country’s Malay Muslim majority.
((Wong Chin-Huat, Political Analyst (male in English) ))
“Many of the ethnic minorities who have been supporting him for the last 25-years are getting disillusioned thinking that he lacks, Anwar lacks, the determination to change the country. But at the same time most of the ethnic minorities also understand that there is not a better alternative.”
((NARRATION))
Given all this, analysts say Anwar will continue to face a difficult balancing act as he works to forward reforms while managing political realities.
Dave Grunebaum for VOA News, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateNovember 29, 2023 11:07 EST
BylineDave Grunebaum
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English, US Agency for Global Media
