HE Anwar Ibrahim became Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister in November 2022, leading the unity government under the Pakatan Harapan coalition. His path to the premiership was marked by decades of political turbulence — including imprisonment, exile, and leading opposition — and his rise is widely seen as a dramatic comeback in Malaysian politics.

Beginnings: Anwar’s early life was rooted in Penang, Malaysia, where he was born to a Muslim Malay family. His parents’ involvement in politics exposed him to the field at a young age. His political journey began during his years as a student at the University of Malaya in the late 1960s, where he gained recognition for his leadership qualities. In 1971, he founded and became the president of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia.

Political Success: Anwar’s political career took off in 1982 when he accepted an invitation from then-Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamed to join the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). He quickly rose through the ranks, holding various ministerial positions, including Minister of Youth, Culture, and Sports (1983), Minister of Agriculture (1984), Minister of Education (1986-1991), and Minister of Finance (1991-1998). He also served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998.

Trials and Tribulations: Anwar Ibrahim’s political journey has been a turbulent one, marked by both triumphs and setbacks. As a key figure in Malaysia’s economic boom of the 1990s, he clashed with then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during the 1997 financial crisis, leading to his dismissal in 1998. In 1999, Anwar was jailed on charges of corruption and sodomy, though his sodomy conviction was overturned in 2004 due to insufficient evidence. Despite being repeatedly imprisoned and released over the next two decades, including during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition from 2008 to 2015, Anwar remained resilient. A literary enthusiast, he found solace in reading Shakespeare’s complete works four times in prison.

Royal Pardon: Anwar was finally released through Royal Pardon in 2018, a “travesty of justice” being cited as the reason. He almost immediately returned to Parliament and won a by-election by a huge majority, and again was Leader of the Opposition from 2018-2022 before becoming Prime Minister in November 2022.

Academic life: Beyond his political career, Anwar has made contributions to academia, holding positions at institutions such as St. Anthony’s College, Oxford, Johns Hopkins University, and Georgetown University. He is also a co-founder of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) established in the United States in 1981. Furthermore, he served as the Chancellor of the International Islamic University Kuala Lumpur from 1983 to 1988, and has received honorary degrees from institutions in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Peace Mediator: Anwar Ibrahim played an important role to ease tensions between Thailand and Cambodia after several days of border fighting. Anwar helped build trust between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, reinforcing Malaysia’s image as a constructive peace broker in Southeast Asia.

The Gaza Genocide: Ibrahim has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian right to resist occupation. His meetings with Hamas officials (including the late assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh) have drawn criticism from the USA. His social media posts offering condolences after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh were taken down, prompting him to say: “Let this serve as a clear and unequivocal message to Meta: cease this display of cowardice and stop acting as instruments of the oppressive Zionist Israeli regime.”

On Gaza: “Where have we thrown our humanity, why this hypocrisy?”

1971 founded the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (ABIM)

879 islands in Malaysia