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Who is Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian leader who helped Trump preside over a 'peace deal'?
Who is Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian leader who helped Trump preside over a 'peace deal'?
"I was in prison but you almost got there," Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim joked to US President Donald Trump as the cameras rolled.
It was a dicey joke - one he quickly moved on from given Trump's less-than amused demeanour - but also arguably one only a veteran politician basking in his recent wins would dare make.
He had just signed a deal with Trump to lower tariffs on Malaysian exports to the US from 24% to 19%. Although many other details remain unclear, any assurance that levies will not rise further is welcome amid all the uncertainty.
But most important of all, Anwar had secured Trump's attendance at a regional summit whose relevance has been repeatedly questioned. The US president was at the meeting of Association of South East Asian Nations, or Asean, in Kuala Lumpur solely to preside over a highly publicised "peace deal" between Thailand and Cambodia, which Anwar orchestrated.
He also brokered the fragile ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia after deadly border clashes earlier this year - he stepped in after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on both sides if the fighting didn't stop.
Some called it a diplomatic victory for Malaysia, while others said Anwar was simply in the right place at the right time - this year, it was the Malaysian PM's turn to lead Asean.
But Anwar would argue he waited 25 years for his turn - a turbulent time in the wings, during which he was jailed twice.
Anwar first made his name as a charismatic firebrand student leader who founded Malaysia's Islamic youth movement, ABIM.
In 1982, he joined the long-ruling party United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), surprising many who had expected him to steer clear of the establishment.
But it proved a canny political move - he climbed up the ladder rapidly and held multiple ministerial posts.
In 1993, he became deputy to then-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and was widely seen as his heir-apparent. That was until they fell out over the handling of the Asian financial crisis in 1997, which hit Malaysia hard.
Anwar was sacked the next year, then jailed for sodomy and corruption - charges he denies to this day, arguing they were part of a smear campaign to remove him as a political threat.
In 2004, a year after Mahathir stepped down, Malaysia's Supreme Court overturned the sodomy conviction and freed Anwar. He emerged as the leader of an invigorated opposition, leading it to its strongest-ever performance in the 2013 elections.
Less than a year later, while preparing to fight a state election, new sodomy charges were filed against him, sending him back to jail.
Then in 2016, in a shock turn of events, Mahathir came out of retirement to run for top office, as then-leader Najib Razak faced corruption allegations.
Mahathir, then 92, struck an unlikely deal with the still-imprisoned Anwar, where he promised to free Anwar if elected, and eventually hand over the PM job to him. Their coalition scored a historic victory in 2018, but the alliance began to unravel as the nonagenarian kept shifting the goalposts for handing over power.
In the 2022 election, Anwar's coalition won the most seats but still fell short of the number needed to form a government.
After days of deadlock, the king appointed him PM.
Some thought his term would be short-lived. But nearly three years on, the 78-year-old has already held on to the job for longer than his three predecessors.
Anwar's biggest achievement is perhaps the political stability he appears to have brought to a country that has cycled through three prime ministers between 2020 and 2021.
"Malaysia these days is sometimes seen as among the most stable in South East Asia... which has also made it relatively attractive for investors," says Syaza Shukri, a political science professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia.
But cost of living is rising, as it is in so many other countries. In July, 20,000 protesters took to the streets in Kuala Lumpur demanding Anwar's resignation, over rising costs and a lack of economic reforms.
And expensive investments in semiconductor manufacturing and data centres are yet to pay off. That's why the tariff deal with the US was crucial for the export-driven economy.
Others accuse his administration of not doing enough to promote a more inclusive Malaysia in the face of rising Islamism. Religious outrage has sometimes spilled into violence in the Muslim-majoirty country, which also has a sizeable ethnic Chinese population.
In 2024, a convenience store chain sparked an outcry for selling socks printed with the word "Allah" – the Arabic word for God – which many Muslims saw as an insult to Islam. The store was attacked with Molotov cocktail attacks as people called for it to be boycotted and for the company's executives to be charged.
In 2023, a Chinese Muslim restaurant had to publicly apologise after it came under fire over a staff member wearing a crucifix necklace.
"The middle ground for Malaysian politics is no longer a tolerant multiracial Malaysia, but a conservative Malaysia with an Islamic outlook... Anwar's position on political Islam may just move the country to unchartered territory," professor of Asian studies James Chin wrote in a commentary published by CNA.
Critics also accuse Anwar of favouritism and question his anti-corruption pledges - in a contentious move, public prosecutors dropped 47 corruption charges in 2023 against a key Anwar ally, the deputy PM.
Internationally, Anwar has been more successful.
As prime minister, he has a deft balancing act ahead to make sure the emerging, economy he is in charge of doesn't get caught between the US and China.
He had also invited China's leader Xi Jinping to the summit. Xi had made an official visit to Malaysia in April, after a 12-year gap, but he skipped this week's summit.
But Trump's presence was no small thing for South East Asian economies that rely on the US market. It meant other countries, like Thailand and Vietnam, could also discuss details and gain assurances on tariffs - which they would count as a win, for now.
Anwar has been very active on the diplomatic front. Within his first year as PM, he visited all Asean countries, apart from Myanmar, where a civil war has been raging since the army seized power in 2021.
It has been one of Asean's most intractable challenges - while Anwar has been praised for speaking up more on the issue, little has changed on the ground, partly because China has the most influence over the military junta.
Still, Professor Chin believes Anwar has "moved the needle a little" in restoring Asean's relevance.
His role in the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire also boosted Anwar's standing, but these diplomatic wins mean little to ordinary Malaysians.
What's resonated at home is his advocacy for the Palestinian cause, which has become louder since the war in Gaza began in 2023.
"Anwar needs to fly the Palestinian flag to the hilt to satisfy public opinion and fortify himself against attacks from opponents who accuse him of not going far enough," says Ariel Tan, coordinator of the Malaysia programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
But Anwar also faces a dilemma because he needs to maintain good ties with Washington, Israel's most powerful ally, Ms Tan says.
Since Trump's re-election, he has reduced his criticism of the United States' role in the conflict. Engaging the US has become more critical, particularly with the tariff threat.
The question is, will Anwar be able to balance the demands at home with those abroad, and start to replicate his international success on a local stage?
The answer to that will be crucial to his survival in the next election, due in 2028.
Source: BBC
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