Anwar Ibrahim, the almost man of Malaysian politics, finally clinched the country’s premiership on Thursday after decades of waiting. Now, the reformist leader must make sure that he keeps the job.
That won’t be easy in a nation that’s now had four prime ministers in four years. Former finance chief Anwar is likely to control an unstable majority and his administration looks set to include his longtime nemesis, the graft-tainted United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). That may prove an obstacle to policy making and could easily bring his government down.
Anwar, 75, will also have to steer an economy that’s on the most fragile of rebounds at a time of surging inflation and living costs. He will also face pressure from an opposition dominated by an increasingly popular hard-line Islamic party.