By JONATHAN LEE RONG SENG
With sheepish admission that may have been a clickbait, but it was reasonably close still.
For the unacquainted, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim was in the United Kingdom for a five-day working trip just last month, and I had the pleasure of being invited to two events featuring himself at the courtesy of the London School of Economics Alumni Society of Malaysia (LSEAM) and the Malaysian High Commission, respectively.
Having been away from Malaysia since mid-2023, my perspective as a Malaysian student in the UK is inevitably shaped by distance—making it easier to be critical while being somewhat detached from on-the-ground realities.
I felt mixed about his visits, having seen the prime minister make a staggering 39 international trips since assuming office and seeing his perceived slow pace of reforms being criticised widely by local observers. Staff, however, assured me that Anwar was open to taking any questions during his visit.
The events began on a Friday morning when Anwar was scheduled to deliver an address at LSE titled ‘The Adaptive Edge: Malaysia’s Global Strategy in an Uncertain Era’. He began by addressing the unsettled state of global affairs, highlighting the surge of populism and the influence of “post-truth politics” fueled by misinformation. He then framed his speech with a question: “Can democracy really function when such a state of being engenders the politics of exclusion, division, dispossession and hate, which then cross from rhetoric to policies?”
It was a thought-provoking question, no doubt.
No speech by the prime minister would be complete without referencing the Madani concept, and Anwar did not disappoint, highlighting Malaysia’s robust economic performance in 2024. His speech at LSE also touched on Malaysia’s economic outlook, a key area of debate back home. He also justified that Malaysia’s decision to join BRICS was “about a clear-sighted recognition of the geopolitical and geoeconomic changes that are happening around us and expanding our options”.
The contents of the lecture were, as one expects of a lecture, technical. However, it did offer some interesting insights into Anwar’s perspectives on global issues, particularly on the ongoing US-China trade war. I felt it was a missed opportunity to outline in greater detail how he intends to lead ASEAN through these geopolitical tensions as Malaysia assumes the chairmanship this year. Nevertheless, his oratorship was on full display the whole time.
The second event was an engagement session between the Prime Minister and the Malaysian diaspora here in the UK, a customary event that usually takes place when a high-profile official visits. If the lecture felt technical, this flipped expectations around. Anwar reiterated his commitment to clean governance and defended a gradual approach to reforms in a fiery speech. He tackled tough questions on the slow pace of change, his cooperation with former political adversaries, and racial rhetoric—clearly addressing the many armchair critics observing local developments from afar.
But after all this, you may be inclined to ask me, have I become a walanon (a less than flattering term used to describe diehard loyalists of Anwar)? In all honesty, I cannot tell you if Anwar is the best prime minister we had, but he definitely is the most consequential. As noted by his introduction at LSE, he has come a long way from his student activist days to political prisoner and now prime minister, and is a testament to perseverance and how far Malaysia’s democracy has come.
Malaysia's economy is indeed showing steady but cautious improvement under his leadership. While challenges such as cost of living and currency fluctuations persist, policies focusing on investment, subsidies, and economic reforms which require political courage are being implemented, laying the groundwork for long-term stability. As someone who started off in non-governmental organisations, it can feel pessimistic as an observer of institutional reforms. However, I am careful to not dismiss the active work that is done such as efforts to separate the roles of the Attorney General (AG) and Public Prosecutor, as well as the introduction of more parliamentary select committees to improve governance and accountability.
Ultimately as Malaysian citizens, we hold the power of the vote to decide our leaders once every five years through democratic means. Good administration should be rewarded with continuity, while poor ones should be accorded the time to reflect. Anwar shoulders the unenviable responsibility of charting the country’s course for the remainder of his term, and only time will tell.
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