MalayMail/Reuters-Nov 7
After two decades as opposition leader, Malaysia’s Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was poised to finally become prime minister in 2020. But his alliance collapsed from infighting, leaving him as far away as ever from the top job. Now, Anwar, 75, is hitting the national campaign trail again, trying to convince Malaysians to vote for him in the Nov. 19 election as he looks to finally fulfil his long-held dream of becoming prime minister. He was in his element on the stump: Joking with supporters as he peppered his speech with Quranic verses and Malay folklore to condemn his rivals and burnish his leadership credentials. “I’m optimistic,” Anwar told Reuters late on Friday after a packed day of campaigning at his constituency Tambun in west Malaysia, referring to his coalition’s chances of victory and changing the political landscape in multi-ethnic, Muslim-majority Malaysia. “We are here to emphasize governance and anti-corruption, and rid this country of racism and religious bigotry,” he said.
Anwar’s alliance faces two other coalitions in the election — one led by incumbent Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the other by former premier Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. There are several other parties in the running, including one founded by another former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a factor that is expected to split the votes more than ever before. Opinion polls predict a tight race with no single party or coalition being able to win a simple majority needed to form the government. Anwar has support from the ethnic-Chinese and Indian minorities, who form a third of the electorate, and from voters in urban areas. In Tambun town, he attracted hundreds at a campaign stop, with crowds spilling onto the road and the driver of a passing ambulance flashing Anwar a thumbs-up sign.
But he lacks widespread appeal among majority Malays due to his opposition to affirmative action favoring them and past allegations of sodomy, a crime in Malaysia. Anwar has spent around a decade in jail on sodomy and corruption charges. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/11/07/once-again-anwar-bids-to-become-prime-minister/38006
