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By Mihar Dias (C) September 2024
When Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob took office as Malaysia’s ninth Prime Minister, many might have expected a caretaker leader, managing the country's day-to-day affairs until the next election.
However, Ismail Sabri’s brief tenure defied expectations. Despite serving as Prime Minister for just 14 months, he carved a legacy as a reformist leader.
Remarkably, this stands in contrast to his successor, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the once-iconic face of Malaysia's *Reformasi* movement, who seems to be struggling to live up to his own reformist credentials nearly two years into his premiership.
Ismail Sabri’s time in office may have been short, but he implemented several key reforms that have since set him apart from the lengthy list of Malaysian premiers.
Perhaps his most notable achievement was ensuring equal allocation of constituency funds for all MPs, regardless of their political affiliation. This move was unprecedented in Malaysian politics, where government MPs have traditionally enjoyed greater access to financial resources than their opposition counterparts.
Ismail Sabri's decision signaled a commitment to fairness and a more balanced political landscape—something that his successor, Anwar Ibrahim, has yet to embrace.
As noted by human rights activist Charles Hector, Anwar's refusal to allocate funds to opposition MPs nearly 19 months into his premiership raises serious questions about his dedication to the very reforms he once championed.
Beyond his equal funding initiative, Ismail Sabri also pushed through the much-needed Anti-Hopping Law, aimed at curbing the political instability caused by party defections.
Though the law is not without its flaws, it remains a significant step toward protecting the will of the people.
By contrast, while Anwar’s administration re-tabled the law to repeal the mandatory death penalty, his failure to abolish the inhumane punishment of whipping highlights a gap between rhetoric and action.
One of the most significant contrasts between the two leaders lies in their approach to political appointments.
Ismail Sabri’s decision to keep the infamous “court cluster” out of his Cabinet demonstrated a level of political integrity that many did not expect from a leader within UMNO, a party often criticized for its entanglements with corruption.
In sharp contrast, Anwar's inclusion of UMNO president Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi as Deputy Prime Minister has drawn widespread criticism. Zahid, facing multiple corruption charges, serves as a reminder of the compromises Anwar has made in his quest for power—compromises that tarnish the image of the *Reformasi* leader who once vowed to clean up Malaysian politics.
This leads to a deeper question: Is Anwar Ibrahim still the reformist he once claimed to be? Or has the weight of political reality, alliances, and power-sharing agreements diluted his reformist zeal?
Ismail Sabri, who entered office with far less fanfare and expectation, seemed to make greater strides in a short period. He navigated a challenging political environment with a focus on inclusivity and reform. Anwar, on the other hand, finds himself entangled in political deals that undermine his reformist image.
In a country where promises of reform have often been a convenient rallying cry but seldom result in meaningful change, Ismail Sabri’s legacy might just outshine Anwar Ibrahim’s—despite the latter’s long association with the *Reformasi* movement.
Ismail Sabri, in many ways, became the reformist by default, enacting real changes that impacted governance, while Anwar, the supposed torchbearer of reform, now faces increasing criticism for maintaining the status quo.
As Malaysia looks to the future, the question remains: Who will be remembered as the true reformist? The man who quietly enacted reforms in the shadows of political uncertainty, or the icon who may have lost his way in the corridors of power?
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