4 d. ago Why Anwar faces uphill task to win back voters after Sabah election trouncing

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces a more complex political landscape ahead after his coalition was routed in Sabah’s polls, as analysts warn he would need to craft a compelling narrative to win over voters ahead of the next general election. Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition won a single seat of the 73 up for grabs in Saturday’s election, from his own Parti Keadilan Rakyat, a stinging rebuke to a government perceived to have failed to fix Sabah’s perennial problems, ranging from...

Politics

7 d. ago Malaysia’s Sabah begins voting as Anwar faces test over coalition’s performance

Voters in Sabah began casting their ballots on Saturday, in a state election seen as a referendum on Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership midway into his first term. Anwar, who came to office in 2022 after pulling together a rag-tag coalition of former political rivals, depends on Sabah to prop up his parliamentary supermajority. His coalition has so far fended off the challenge of a Malay-nationalist opposition bloc and pushed through unpopular measures, including subsidy cuts to...

Events

7 d. ago Malaysia’s Sabah votes as Anwar faces test over coalition’s performance

Voters in Sabah are casting their ballots on Saturday, in a state election seen as a referendum on Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership midway into his first term. Anwar, who came to office in 2022 after pulling together a rag-tag coalition of former political rivals, depends on Sabah to prop up his parliamentary supermajority. His coalition has so far fended off the challenge of a Malay-nationalist opposition bloc and pushed through unpopular measures, including subsidy cuts to...

Politics

7 d. ago Sabah election: uncertainty in Malaysian state as Anwar’s allies await results

Uncertainty hangs thick in the air in Malaysia’s Sabah state, as hundreds of candidates anxiously wait to find out if they made the cut in a fiercely fought state election that could determine the political future of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Saturday’s polls are widely seen as a decisive contest that could set the political trajectory for Anwar’s federal administration over the remainder of his term. Anything less than a strong mandate for his allies in the Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)-led...

Politics

7 d. ago Sabah election: blow for Malaysian PM Anwar as key ally concedes defeat

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal coalition was dealt a disastrous blow in Malaysia’s Sabah state, where a key partner was completely wiped out in a state election seen as a referendum on his leadership. Saturday’s polls are widely seen as a decisive contest that could set the political trajectory for Anwar’s federal administration with just two years before a national election must be called by early 2028 at the latest. But even before the Election Commission...

Politics

1 week ago In Malaysia’s Sabah state election, it’s Gen Z vs the old guard

When activist Sudirman Arshad walked into a Kota Kinabalu police station last month, the 22-year-old expected to file a routine report after a minor traffic accident. Instead, he was held for hours and questioned under Malaysia’s Sedition Act over a rally he had helped organise. The experience left him shaken, but also confirmed a nagging suspicion: Sabah’s political establishment has finally realised that Gen Z is no longer content to sit quietly on the sidelines. His brush with the law came as...

Politics

3 w. ago Malaysia’s Anwar faces a tough fight as bellwether state Sabah closes ranks

Malaysia’s election season kicks into full gear this weekend, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration forced to juggle national interests and aspirations of autonomy in make-or-break state Sabah as sentiments of “Sabah for Sabahans” quickly gain ground. The November 29 election in Sabah, one of two states on Malaysian Borneo, is widely seen as a gauge of Anwar’s popularity beyond his strongholds in the peninsula and a potential indicator of how well he could do in his presumed...

Events