What will it take to make Anwar Ibrahim Malaysia’s prime minister? It’s a question that has been vexing the veteran politician and his supporters for more than two decades. From his rise as a reform-minded finance minister and deputy prime minister in the 1990s, through his multiple imprisonments and unlikely role in toppling the long-standing ruling party in 2018, Anwar has kept one eye firmly on the prize. And it’s always been just out of reach.
“If you’re serious against crime, you’re serious against corruption, you’re serious against abuse of power, and the few cliques and cronies and family members amassing wealth, you’re not going to be very popular among the ruling clique. I am fully aware of it,” Anwar told me this November, pausing to consider his words.
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