Anwar to limit Malaysia PM term in reform push to ‘re-energise’ supporters

“It will probably help to excite their core supporters. They need to be excited to vote; otherwise, like we saw in Sabah, no excitement means they will stay away from polling stations,” Adib told This Week in Asia.

But PH was all but wiped out in the Sabah state election in November, a result that experts say stemmed from accumulated frustrations over delivery gaps, local governance issues and the perception that Anwar’s reform momentum had slowed.

According to political analyst Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar, Anwar is also fighting an uphill battle against the narrative that he has abandoned his reform pledges. This is even though the prime minister had announced early in his term that his administration was working on changes such as the separation of powers between the attorney general and public prosecutor.

“Reform does not always mean a decision taken a few days after one comes to power,” said Tunku Mohar of the International Islamic University of Malaysia. “The irony of the current social media age is that it has given credibility to baseless perceptions.”

Beyond institutional reforms, a core concern of his largely urban vote base, Anwar will also need to address bread-and-butter issues that drive voter behaviour in rural constituencies if he hopes to win his presumed re-election bid due by early 2028 at the latest.

“This reform push may stabilise and re-energise PH’s core base, but it will not, on its own, decisively shift broader voter sentiment unless it is accompanied by tangible improvements on the ground,” said Awang Azman Awang Pawi, a sociopolitical analyst from the Academy of Malay Studies at Universiti Malaya and a senior fellow of the Academy of Kenegaraan Malaysia.

Anwar’s political fortunes at the same time hinge on how he projects Malaysia’s position on international issues.

On Sunday, he accused the US of violating international law through the “unlawful use of force against a sovereign state” by bombing Caracas and capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in its so-called war on drugs – the strongest condemnation coming out of Southeast Asia.

While it highlights fears of copycat actions by state actors beyond Latin America, Anwar’s statement also taps existing local sentiments critical of the US over its unwavering support of Israel and its war on Gaza, experts say.

“There are always domestic elements to foreign policy positions, and such signalling is equally crucial, especially as the country moves into its pre-election cycle,” said Thomas Daniel, a senior analyst with the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia.

And unlike in 2003 when ties plummeted after then prime minister Mahathir led Malaysia in condemning US “bullying” in its war on Iraq, Kuala Lumpur may be let off the hook by Washington over Anwar’s statement given their different leadership styles.

“[Anwar] is more issue-based, while [Mahathir] tends to contextualise larger narratives into other sub-interests,” said Hafidzi Razali, founder and CEO of policy advisory firm Strategic Counsel, adding that Anwar’s criticism was clear on concerns of international law and sovereignty.