Malaysia’s parliamentary standoff

ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images With everyone’s attention fixed on the financial meltdown here in the United States, it’s been easy to overlook the instability of another large institution: the Malaysian government. On the occasion of Malaysia’s national holiday, opposition leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared that he had assembled enough MPs from the ...

592530_080917_anwar5.jpg
592530_080917_anwar5.jpg

ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images

ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images

With everyone’s attention fixed on the financial meltdown here in the United States, it’s been easy to overlook the instability of another large institution: the Malaysian government.

On the occasion of Malaysia’s national holiday, opposition leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared that he had assembled enough MPs from the ruling bloc to form a new government. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) party has been in power for 50 years but has recently seen its majority eroded by the opposition, which is drawing strength from the long-standing resentment of BN’s racially divisive policies. More recently, BN has also shown contempt towards democratic institutions by detaining vocal journalists and commentators under the country’s Internal Security Act, causing a public backlash.

All eyes are on Anwar, whom we interviewed a few months back, and whether he will follow through. For months, he has repeated that his coalition would seize power on Sept. 16, but is now taking a softer stance, instead demanding talks with BN leader Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to “ensure that the transition will be peaceful.” Meanwhile, Abdullah is calling Anwar out on a bluff, saying that if the opposition leader really had the requisite numbers for a new government, he would “storm into my room with hundreds screaming behind him ‘victory.'” We’ll let you know if that happens.

Jerome Chen is a researcher at Foreign Policy.

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.