The missing reform agenda: A failure of political will in Malaysia’s Madani government

Murray Hunter


The missing reform agenda: A failure of political will in Malaysia’s Madani government

P Ramasamy
Jun 29, 2025





Political analysts should stop defending the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led coalition’s lack of meaningful reforms by pointing to the absence of prior arrangements between coalition partners. The formation of the government through a hastily assembled coalition may explain the initial political urgency, but it does not justify the prolonged neglect of reform.

From the outset, the coalition’s main priority was forming the federal government amidst political uncertainty. In doing so, the reform agenda—once the core of PH’s identity—was sacrificed to political expediency. Even if immediate survival was necessary, this does not account for the inaction in the months and years that followed.

Some analysts have suggested that the government could have emulated the example of Germany’s ruling coalition, where structural reforms became central to governance. However, over two years have passed since the formation of the Madani government under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and meaningful reforms remain elusive.

While the early period may have been dominated by issues of political stability, the coalition has since had ample time to develop, institutionalise, and implement a clear reform framework. Such a framework—covering both short- and long-term goals—could have guided structured, sustainable changes. Instead, reforms have been reduced to rhetorical flourishes and superficial, piecemeal adjustments.

This failure has left the public increasingly disillusioned. Rather than embodying a transformative government, the Madani administration appears to be using the idea of reform as a political tool for maintaining power. Without concrete action, Malaysians are left questioning the sincerity of the coalition’s reformist claims.

The continued manufacturing of excuses does nothing to address the fundamental issue: the urgent need for structural and institutional reform. Pointing to foreign examples, however well-intentioned, does little to change the domestic reality that Malaysia’s reform agenda lacks clarity, commitment, and most importantly—political will.

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