HE Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim assumed office as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister in November 2022, leading the Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition. This marked the culmination of a political journey that spanned three decades, during which he faced imprisonment, exile, and political challenges before returning to the helm of government.
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: In a seesaw trajectory that has marked his political life, he was a leader of Malaysia’s economic success during the 90s but came to heads with Mahathir during the financial crisis of 1997 and was dismissed in 1998. In 1999 he was jailed for corruption and later on for charges of sodomy. This conviction was later overturned in 2004 through lack of reliable evidence and he was released, but he was again convicted, imprisoned and freed over the next two decades, including a period as Leader of the Opposition from 2008-2015. A literary man, he said he spent much time in prison reading Shakespeare, and read the complete works four times, and survived, he said, with the help of such reading and singing songs.
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. He now heads the Pakatan Harapan coalition and is also President of the Peoples Justice Party.
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.