Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 10th prime minister of Malaysia since 2022. A president of the People's Justice Party since 2018, he represented Tambun in the Parliament of Malaysia since 2022. Since assuming office as prime minister, Anwar appointed himself as Minister of Finance. Anwar is also the chairman of Pakatan Harapan coalition since 2020.
Born in the Crown Colony of Penang during the Malayan Union, Anwar graduated from University of Malaya. Prior to entering politics, he served as president of the National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students and of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement. He later joined UMNO, then the dominant party in the long-ruling Barisan Nasional coalition. He became the 7th deputy prime minister in 1993 and served as Minister of Finance from 1991, playing a key role in Malaysia's response to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. In 1998, Anwar was removed from all government posts by then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and subsequently led the Reformasi movement against the government. He was jailed in April 1999 on charges of corruption and sodomy, until his release in 2004 after his conviction was overturned. He returned to politics as the 12th leader of the opposition from 2008 to 2015, merging opposition parties into the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which contested the 2008 and 2013 general elections. He disputed the 2013 election results and led subsequent protests.
In 2014, Anwar attempted to become Menteri Besar of Selangor as part of the Kajang Move, sparking a nine-month political crisis that ended with a five-year prison sentence following a second sodomy conviction in 2015. While in prison, he rejoined Mahathir Mohamad in the new Pakatan Harapan coalition in absentia, which won the 2018 general election. Mahathir planned for Anwar to succeed him as prime minister after an interim period. He was granted a royal pardon by King Muhammad V and released in May 2018. He returned to parliament in the 2018 Port Dickson by-election while his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, served as deputy prime minister in the PH administration. During the 2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis, the PH coalition collapsed, leading to the Perikatan Nasional government under Muhyiddin Yassin, with Anwar becoming the opposition leader for a second term from 2020 to 2022.
Following the 2022 general election, where Pakatan Harapan won a plurality of seats, Anwar was sworn in as prime minister on 24 November 2022. On 2 December 2022, he appointed MPs from PH, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, and UMNO as ministers in a unity government cabinet, retaining the finance portfolio for himself. His government has faced criticism for conservative policies and controversies including the discharge not amounting to acquittal of Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the reduction of former prime minister Najib Razak's prison sentence. As ASEAN chairman since January 2025, Anwar facilitated a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, addressing the border dispute through regional diplomatic channels.
Anwar is widely regarded as a liberal reformer and intellectual. He has advocated for Islamic democracy and hopes Malaysia can serve as an example of democratic governance in the Muslim world. He supports the Islamic concept of Ummah as a framework for democracy in Muslim countries and emphasizes judicial independence, good governance, and rejection of authoritarianism. While initially supporting affirmative action policies for Malays as a youth activist, he later criticized Ketuanan Melayu and called for need-based affirmative policies and poverty support. During his imprisonment and trials, he was described as a "uniting figure" for the opposition. As prime minister, he has emphasised implementing measures such as diesel subsidy cuts for fiscal responsibility.
Early life and education
Anwar bin Ibrahim was born on 10 August 1947 in Cherok Tok Kun, Bukit Mertajam, Crown Colony of Penang, Malayan Union. However, he also stated that he was born in Sungai Bakap, Seberang Perai Selatan, Crown Colony of Penang, Malayan Union during state election in 2023. His father, Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman, started his career as a hospital porter, and later joined politics as a member of UMNO.Ibrahim won election as Seberang Tengah MP in 1959 and 1964, serving as the parliamentary secretary to the ministry of health from 1964 until his defeat in the 1969 general election by Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia candidate Mustapha Hussain. Anwar's mother, Che Yan binti Hussein, was a housewife active in UMNO grassroots politics in Penang who served as head of the UMNO Women for Bukit Mertajam division in Penang.
Anwar attended three primary schools, Sekolah Melayu Sungai Bakap, Sekolah Melayu Cherok Tok Kun and Sekolah Rendah Stowell, Bukit Mertajam and undertook his secondary education at Bukit Mertajam High School before continuing at Malay College Kuala Kangsar. He attended Bukit Mertajam High School for three years, where he excelled academically. Anwar was selected to take a special examination for entry into Malay College Kuala Kangsar, one of only three students from Penang to be chosen for this prestigious institution. While at MCKK, he has been involved in various organised activities and represented MCKK in the debate competition between schools. He was also active in the Malay Language Association and his school oratory representative. While studying there, he got to know many future political leaders, like Sanusi Junid, Kamaruddin Jaafar and Yahaya Ahmad. He was the St John Ambulance's youth cadet. He also served as the Secretary of the Badan Revolusi Agama Association, where the Chairman was Sanusi Junid, his senior.
Anwar later pursued higher education at the University of Malaya, earning a bachelor's degree of arts in Malay Studies. Anwar also worked on his Master of Arts in Literature through the National University of Malaysia while imprisoned from 1974 to 1975.
Early years and activism (1968–1982)
From 1968 to 1971, as a student, Anwar was the president of the National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students. Around the same time, he was also the president of the University of Malaya Malay Language Society Persatuan Bahasa Melayu Universiti Malaya ). In 1971, he was a member of the pro tem committee of Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia or Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia, which he co-founded. At the same time, he was elected as the 2nd President of the Malaysian Youth Council or Majlis Belia Malaysia.In 1974, Anwar was arrested during student protests against rural poverty and hunger. This came as a report surfaced stating that a family died from starvation in a village in Baling, in the state of Kedah, which was later demonstrated to be false. However, the rubber tappers in Baling were experiencing severe hardship as the price of rubber dropped in 1974. He was imprisoned under the Internal Security Act, which allowed for detention without trial and spent 20 months in the Kamunting Detention Centre.
From 1975 until 1982, he served as a representative for Asia Pacific of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
Anwar Ibrahim is also the co-founder of the International Institute of Islamic Thought in the USA. Anwar has been one of four acting directors, a board member of IIIT and a trustee. He was also a chancellor of International Islamic University Malaysia between 1988 and 1998.
Early political career (1982–1993)
In 1982, Anwar, who was the founding leader and second president of ABIM, joined the United Malays National Organisation, which was led by Mahathir Mohamad, who had become prime minister in 1981. Anwar's decision was influenced by the advice of Palestinian-American scholar Ismail al-Faruqi, who recognised the Mahathir administration's commitment to its Islamization agenda.In the 1982 general election, he was elected as the MP for Permatang Pauh, which was created in the 1974 redistribution from parts of the Seberang Tengah constituency that his father had represented from 1959 to 1969. He defeated a candidate from PAS, even though the seat was regarded as a PAS stronghold.
Anwar rapidly rose to high-ranking positions; he first entered cabinet in 1982 as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department; his first ministerial office was that of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in 1983; after that, he headed the Agriculture Ministry in 1984 before becoming Minister of Education in 1986.
During his tenure as education minister, Anwar introduced numerous policies in the national school curriculum. One of his major changes was to rename the national language from Bahasa Malaysia to Bahasa Melayu, a decision later reverted in 2007 under the premiership of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Analysts and politicians have also attributed the rise in social conservatism and Islamism among Malays to the reforms and Islamisation of the education system done under Anwar, with former law minister Zaid Ibrahim labelling Anwar an "Islamist".
As education minister, Anwar was elected as the 25th President of UNESCO's General Conference. In 1988, Anwar Ibrahim became the second President of IIUM.
In 1991, Anwar was appointed as Minister of Finance. During his tenure as finance minister, his impact was immediate; Malaysia enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and economic growth. Shortly after becoming Finance Minister, Euromoney named him as a top-four finance minister and in 1996 Asiamoney named him Finance Minister of the Year. In the midst of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Anwar, as a deputy prime minister and finance minister, was hailed for guiding Malaysia through the period of instability. Anwar backed free-market principles and highlighted the proximity of business and politics in Malaysia. He advocated greater accountability, refused to offer government bail-outs and instituted widespread spending cuts. In March 1998, Anwar was selected as the chairman of the Development Committee of World Bank and International Monetary Fund from March 1998 until September 1998.