Anwar’s strategic recklessness

Murray Hunter


Anwar’s strategic recklessness


May 21, 2025



Anwar Ibrahim: not the mind of the strategist


Nurul Izzah Anwar’s challenge for the position of deputy president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) draws many parallels with her father’s move against then UMNO deputy president Ghafar Baba in the 1993 UMNO party elections.

Like her father did back in 1993, Nurul announced she would run for party vice president (she was appointed previously), and after party seniors and divisions spoke out in support of her, nominated for the deputy presidency.

Back in 1993, Ghafar Baba withdrew because he knew he couldn’t win, and suffered a great personal disappointment from someone he mentored like a son. In Nurul’s case, it really doesn’t matter who wins, great damage will have been done to PKR. Nurul’s stark warning that PKR could disappear within the next decade could become a self-fulfilling prophecy due to her challenging Rafizi Ramli for the deputy president of PKR during the mid-term of the Anwar administration.

Ghafa Baba a popular UMNO figure who was destroyed by Anwar’s Machevialism. No empathy for Ghafa Baba should have been a ‘red light’ for Malaysians.

This is a real strategic blunder, such a contest isn’t necessary at this time in the life of the Madani government. PKR members are leaving in droves or just becoming inactive.

Anwar during his political career has made a number of reckless strategic blunders, which puts questions over his own competence as a political strategist.

Two times Anwar has cried wolf claiming his “Pakatan” coalition had a parliamentary majority. In 2008, Anwar made the bold claim when he was opposition leader, that on September 16 he would topple the Badawi government. September 16 came and went without anything happening.

Once again during Najib Razak’s tenure as prime minister, Anwar claimed he had the numbers in parliament to challenge the BN majority, and made repeated calls for Najib to resign.

After the 2013 election, Pakatan Rakyat (forerunner to Pakatan Harapan) won 50.3 percent of the vote. However, this vote didn’t equate to enough seats to win government, with BN retaining government under Najib. Anwar first claimed Pakatan was robbed by dozens of ‘phantom flights’ from Sabah to the peninsula to ferry in voters for the BN. This was never substantiated. Then Anwar claimed a number of BN defections would bring Pakatan to power, which never happened.

Anwar’s ‘cry wolf’ strategies completely failed, reflecting poorly on him, putting questions over his integrity to some at the time.


The Kajang move

In 2014, Anwar made a move to become the Menteri Besar of Selangor, considered one of the most prestigious political positions in the nation. Anwar used party tensions within Pakatan to undermine and do away with the sitting Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim (PKR), so Anwar could replace him. Anwar would contest the state seat of Kajang in a byelection and take over as Menteri besar. Pakatan’s Lee Chin Cheh resigned and Anwar was announced as Pakatan’s candidate for the seat. Anwar couldn’t contest due to his sodomy conviction, so his wife Wan Azizah contested in his place. Wan Azizah won the seat with a reduced majority, only to find her nomination as Menteri Besar was opposed by PAS, then a member of Pakatan. To resolve the matter, the former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali took the position as Menteri Besar as a compromise.

The late Khalid Ibrahim: another merciless culling by Anwar.


The Kajang move sidelined both Anwar and his proxy Wan Azizah. The move increased coalition tensions, which eventually fractured the coalition, leading to the formation of Pakatan Harapan.

Anwar’s Kajang strategy was a complete disaster.

Very little has been said about Anwar and the Sheraton Move in February 2020. Anwar was around and active trying to undermine the stability of Mahathir Mohamed as prime minister, because he thought he was entitled to become PM. It was very noticeable that Mahathir didn’t stand down allowing Wan Azizah to become and acting prime minister to maintain the legal status of the cabinet. Mahathir’s resignation put an end to the government and any opportunity for Anwar to claim the prime minister’s position.

History will write more on Anwar’s actual involvement in the Sheraton move.

One has to ask: Complicit or victims of Anwar’s reckless strategies?


Looking at Anwar’s history as a party leader, poor strategy decisions have certainly let him down. The vote for deputy president of PKR will most probably be just one more of Anwar’s strategic blunders.

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