Anwar Ibrahim sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister

SINGAPORE — Long-time Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was on Thursday (Nov 24) sworn in as the country’s 10th prime minister, ending a political impasse that dragged on for five days following a general election last Saturday.

Mr Anwar, 75, was appointed by Malaysia's king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, on Thursday following the king's meeting with other Malay rulers earlier in the day.

Mr Anwar arrived at 4.32pm at the Istana Negara with his wife, former deputy prime minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

He was seen wearing an all-black traditional baju Melayu as well as another traditional piece of clothing, a samping, for his swearing-in ceremony.

Present as well were his six children, including Ms Nurul Izzah Anwar, who lost her parliamentary seat of Permatang Pauh at the recent general election.

Several senior members of Mr Anwar's Pakatan Harapan coalition were also seen lending their support at the ceremony, including Amanah's president Mohamad Sabu and Democratic Action Party's secretary-general Anthony Loke.

Barisan Nasional's chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who is president of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) and his deputy, Mr Mohamad Hasan, were also in attendance.

After the ceremony, Mr Anwar said on Twitter in Malay that the trust given to him to lead the country will be borne with “humility and responsibility”.

Datuk Seri Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, Comptroller of the Royal Palace of Istana Negara, had said that Mr Anwar’s appointment as prime minister was made in accordance with the country’s Federal Constitution.

Mr Anwar’s ascent to prime minister caps his three-decade-long journey in politics, including being jailed for six years in April 1999 for abuse of power and a second, consecutive nine-year term in August 2000 on a sodomy charge.

Mr Anwar was then jailed for sodomy for the second time in 2015 during former prime minister Najib Razak’s term in office.

At the 2018 Malaysian election, the Barisan Nasional pact lost for the first time in over six decades to a coalition led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Mr Anwar, who had put aside their differences to join forces together.

Mr Anwar received a royal pardon and was released from prison within a week of Dr Mahathir’s premiership.

Mr Anwar was expected to take over from Dr Mahathir some time in the middle of the latter's term, but that did not come to pass when their Pakatan Harapan coalition lost power in 2020 due to infighting and defections.

The political upheaval led to two other prime ministers, Mr Muhyiddin Yassin and Mr Ahmad Sabri Yaacob, being appointed in the last two years.

As prime minister, Mr Anwar’s most immediate issue to tackle will be the budget for next year, which had been tabled before the election by then finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz. AGENCIES 

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