By P. Gunasegaram
There are some things a new prime minister does which is a foreboding omen of happenings to follow. I have stuck to six for PM from November 2022, Anwar Ibrahim, but it could well be 20 if many other issues are included.
Here are the truly foreboding, indicating that he is not serious about the things that he says he would do – getting rid of patronage, fighting corruption, cutting wasteful expenditure, brave economic policies, judicial independence and being truly inclusive.
1. The Second 5G network
There is no better example than this for patronage at work in the Madani government.
It had been decided and agreed in 2021 that there will be only one 5G pipeline provider – government-owned Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) in which other telecommunications companies (telcos) will take a stake later. It involved RM16.5 billion in projected capital expenditure.
Even as DNB reached all major milestone targets, exceeding expectations, Anwar announced the award of a second 5G licence to the weakest among the telcos, U Mobile, throwing DNB into certain losses as its business plan was upended.
On top of all this, the award of the second 5G contract, included a spectrum given free but valued at RM5-10 billion. What was unbelievably shocking was that U Mobile was at least 70 per cent effectively owned by the Singapore government as I explained here.
The other shareholders at the time included companies owned by connected tycoon Vincent Tan and the Sultan of Johore. Last month, The Edge reported, citing sources, that Maxis is in talks to buy U Mobile for RM12-14 billion, but it has hit a brick wall.
What happens if that sale goes through? It will mean the crystallisation of gains to the shareholders of U Mobile, including Singapore, who will exit the company with a huge gain of billions of ringgit without loss-making U Mobile having done anything much to develop a 5G network. Near free-money, in other words, patronage.
These extraordinary gains and the damage done to DNB will mean one thing only – the consumer will have to pay for these massive gains of billions to some through higher charges for 5G services.
2. The Refusal to investigate Azam Baki
This is a very serious blow to fighting corruption. International news agency Bloomberg reported allegations of corruption right to the very top of anti-graft agency MACC and its chief Azam Baki. This warrants a full police investigation.
Instead Anwar decided on a tame civil service probe, only on questionable share purchases by Azam, not even the Bloomberg allegations.
As I said here, the allegations against Azam and MACC require an immediate police investigation and a deep, unbiased look at MACC , perhaps through a suitable Royal Commission or a parliamentary committee headed by an opposition MP of repute.
Instead, the MACC, still headed by Azam, mounted a corruption investigation on whistleblower MP Rafizi Ramli on a frivolous allegation made against him when he had no decision-making powers over the issue, heaping scorn upon abuse.
The latest chapter in this sorry episode is MACC putting up a wanted notice for Rafizi’s former aide James Chai who refuted the notice strongly as well as social media posts that likened him, rather improbably, to a second Jho Low – Najib Razak’s partner in crime at 1MDB.
This has tarnished Anwar’s reputation beyond reburnishing. The proper thing for the PM to do would have been to facilitate a full police investigation during which time Azam would have been required to take a leave of absence.
Now Anwar is facing a DAP revolt over the issue, all unnecessary if Anwar had played the anti-corruption playbook instead of mere lip service.
3. Cutting Wasteful Expenditure
Let’s take the example of the so-called targeted subsidy for RON95 petrol which was not. Well, it did not even stop leakages in the system because those not fully utilising their 300 litres per month can easily sell it to others. I hope that’s not Anwar’s idea of a handout to the poor.
Here’s what I said about the subsidy: “A politically heavy solution to the problem of RON95 subsidies is a double-edged sword – not only has the concept of targeted subsidy been hacked to pieces and leakage left unaddressed, new procedures will likely cause queues and irritations at the pump”.
What the arrangement has done is to give every adult Malaysian – rich or poor – the same amount of unsubsidised petrol – 300 litres a month. If you have two adults sharing a car, that’s 600 litres – virtually unlimited. Imagine the potential for abuse.
To pass this off as targeted subsidy is deception, nothing less. There are other wasteful expenditures we can talk about, but this is about a RM20 billion saving per year if done right.
4. The ART of Capitulation to the US
In the one major international arena of negotiating Anwar did, he was so eager to please and claim a diplomatic coup ahead of an Asean meeting with Trump he conceded much – too much – in the so-called Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART)
This was a bilateral trade deal signed in October 2025 with the US to stabilise trade, lower tariffs to 19% from 25%, and provide zero-tariff privileges for over 1,711 products. According to official documents, this costs a ginormous over RM1 trillion!
I wrote: “And so the cost of that reduction in tariff to 19 per cent from 25 for Malaysian goods to the US is revealed as over US$240 billion or more than RM1 trillion – that’s paying way too much for very little, leaving us gaping at the gigantic sacrifice made.”
This reveals Anwar for the showman that he is – presenting a capitulation to the US as a major victory when he really did not need to make that call but did, all for the sake of appearances and looking good in the public eye.
5. The Betrayal of Judicial Independence
This is very serious as it underpins the functioning of a true democracy, safeguarding fully the rights of all Malaysians. I talked about it in this article titled How Anwar betrayed judicial independence.
I said: “Anwar has been remiss in a number of areas. He allowed key judicial appointments to be delayed, causing unnecessary uncertainty, concern and actual delays in proceedings because of insufficient judges.”
In the appointment of the Chief Justice, as I explained here the new CJ jumped an unprecedented nine Federal Court judges and 24 more senior Court of Appeal judges, 33 positions, with no solid showing of why he deserved to jump so high.
I said further: “Anwar’s refusal to recommend the extension of the former CJ by six months, delay in appointments, and poor choice of candidates ignoring seniority and meritocracy amongst others, has betrayed the established tenets of independence of the judiciary, returning it to the dark ages of extreme judicial control by Umno, and in particular, Mahathir Mohamad.”
6. Being Truly Non-Inclusive
Pakatan Harapan came to power outright in 2018 on a campaign to bring inclusiveness and a promise to work for all Malaysians. When he came to power in November 2022, it was again on a similar campaign, but he changed tack, adopting instead the divisive policies of Umno Baru instead who he allied with to come to power, as I explained here.
He has repeatedly taken extreme Malay/Muslim positions in controversial issues, including the ongoing demolitions of so-called illegal temples. He said: “We cannot allow the mushrooming (of houses of worship) being built just anywhere, under trees… everywhere. This practice must stop. I have asked, in India, and for the Chinese, in China, such practice is not allowed.”
What he has coolly and deliberately sidestepped is that many of these temples were built many years ago, some over a hundred years, and have been there for a long time and have been built with approval then.
The problem is that they have not been legalised subsequently, not only because of an oversight by temple committees but many times even despite repeated applications spanning decades by temple committees, to legalise them which met with blocks from authorities.
People are not so stupid that they do not realise this as with the other five points outlined above. Space prevents me from outlining many other transgressions but people tend to remember them for a long time.
Anwar of all people should not make the mistake of some of his predecessors, notably Najib Razak, of sweeping these under the carpet. There is too much there already – it is time he rolled up the carpet and swept the accumulation of dirt and neglect underneath and cleaned up this country once and for all.
Otherwise he does not stand a ghost of a chance of becoming PM in the next round.
P Gunasegaram says the day of reckoning comes for everyone.
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