PMX’s cult of personality cuts both ways as opponents mock carefully cultivated “hardworking” image

PMX’s cult of personality cuts both ways as opponents mock carefully cultivated “hardworking” image






A CULT of personality is the result of an effort to create an idealised and heroic image of an admirable leader, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.


This would seem to be the perception among some netizens with regard to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s posting on Facebook, accompanied by an image of a tireless civil servant busy slaving away on New Year’s Eve (sans wages as well if anyone should forget).



“The last day of 2025 is being used to coordinate preparations for the new year to ensure that national planning is carried out in an organised manner, centered on good governance and the well-being of the rakyat,” proclaimed PMX in a post that has garnered 16K likes, 17K comments and 323 shares at the time of writing.



There were plenty of cheerleaders (or is it sycophants?) who took the opportunity to further embellish the legendary Reformasi icon.





Some Madani backers couldn’t hide their glee regaling in the opposition’s current turmoil. “We should be grateful for a wise and benevolent PMX administering the country,” one commenter breathlessly observed.



There was also immense outpouring of love – and prayers for his longevity – from adoring fans who were in no doubt the 78-year-old Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman was absolutely the best man to lead the country.



However, not everyone was as enamoured by the PKR president’s public relations (PR) exercise. A case in point is political commenter Nabeel Naqie (posting as Nabeel Naqie Six on Facebook) who sarcastically remarked how lucky Malaysians are to have such a dedicated leader who was clocking in the hours despite it being the last day of 2025.

“Where else in this galaxy can we find leaders of nation such as this?” he enquired incredulously.

One commenter pointed out that he, too, worked on Dec 31 but no one saw fit to shout about it on social media.



Another lady opined that her spouse also worked on New Year’s Eve but did admit that he did receive a salary, unlike the heroic wage-free statesman (it must nevertheless be noted that PMX would be eligible to a whole slew of civil servant allowances that would greatly help with cost-of-living expenses).



It was quite rightly pointed out by one commenter that previous prime ministers also worked on Dec 31 but none thought to make it headline news.



One commenter hilariously surmised that the image was the consequence of procrastinating – “wait until the last minute to get the job done!”



How one views this piece of public image building is entirely dependent on one’s political leanings. But suffice to say, shouting about nothing much at all does tend to invite ridicule.

Unlike say, North Korea, where unashamed fawning is a way of life, Malaysia is a democratic entity with a relatively free and open social media where such PR stunts are dissected and citizens are free to comment (within reason).

As such, perhaps, PMX may want to steer clear of social media posts that invite ridicule, trolling and criticism of a leader that is too busy “syiok sendiri”. – Jan 2, 2026