Speaking to FMT, James Chin of the University of Tasmania said Anwar’s administration was likely to last a full term.
However, he said this would be contingent on the prime minister’s ability to reverse the current economic downturn.
“In Malaysia, public confidence in the economy only comes out in two things: the stock market and the value of the ringgit,” he said.
“Yet the stock market (today is) listless and the value of the ringgit has gone down. If we cannot reverse these two trends, I think there will be trouble for him.”
Anwar took office in November 2022, heading a unity government formed through the alliance of PH with former rival Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and other political parties.
Eight months later, elections were held in six states with the opposition branding them as a referendum on the unity government amid ongoing economic concerns.
During this time, the government also came under fire for raids on Swatch outlets across Malaysia where watches were seized due to their “LGBT connotations”. Anwar also vowed that his government would never acknowledge that Malaysia is a secular country.
Chin said Anwar had made plenty of political concessions, with a particular focus on appeasing hardline Islamic groups to regain Malay support.
“He has tried to appeal to the young Malay voters by being more like PAS, trying to capture the Muslim vote, but that has not worked for him at all,” he said.
Syaza Syukri of International Islamic University Malaysia meanwhile spoke of a silver lining in what she described as Anwar’s give-and-take approach, due to the alliance with Umno and other parties.
“It forces PH to take a more cautious approach. In the long run, I think it creates a sense of stability, that PH is not trying to change everything about the country,” she said.
Citing Anwar’s current support from 151 MPs, Syaza agreed that Anwar could complete a full term in office – but she, too, said he must eventually deliver the reforms he had promised.
She said caution in the pace of implementing these reforms had led to questions about Anwar’s commitment.
“He needs to lead the country towards the reforms he promised and show that they work for the better. Otherwise, it will be difficult for him to win the 16th general election,” Syaza added.
Diverted focus, communication challenges
According to Chin, Anwar’s initial months in office were primarily focused on gearing up for the state elections, diverting attention from effective governance.
“You can see that he did not come up with any new policies. He made a lot of noise, but he didn’t do anything because his attitude was ‘don’t rock the boat’.
“He wanted to win back the Malay votes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Syaza highlighted weaknesses in Anwar’s communication strategy to the public in examples like the floating of egg and chicken prices, where she said the government had failed to effectively convey its impact on reducing costs.
“Relying on mainstream media doesn’t help because they are seen as mouthpieces of the government anyway,” she said.