Following the Turun Anwar rally last Saturday, a widespread question has begun to emerge: if Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim were to step down, who would replace him as Prime Minister?
Many observers, including members of the public and political analysts, are well aware that while there are increasingly vocal calls for Anwar’s resignation, those seeking his removal have yet to present a clear and viable replacement capable of commanding majority support in Parliament. This absence of an obvious successor makes such calls appear strategically weak and unrealistic in the current political climate.
Interestingly, Tan Sri Annuar Musa was among the first political figures to address this issue. In a Facebook post reported by Sinar Harian, he listed seven political leaders whom he believes have the potential to become Malaysia’s 11th Prime Minister if a leadership change were to occur before the 16th General Election. The seven names listed by Annuar are:
1. Rafizi Ramli
2. Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof
3. Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
4. Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man
5. Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar
6. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
7. Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
According to Annuar, if these leaders can reach a consensus, they have the potential to form a strong coalition capable of commanding a majority in the Dewan Rakyat and taking over the government. He also emphasized that in politics, nothing is impossible, and shifts in parliamentary support could lead to unexpected changes before GE16.
However, in my view, Annuar’s list is still incomplete. There are two additional names that are often mentioned by the public as having significant leadership potential but were left out: Nurul Izzah Anwar and Khairy Jamaluddin.
Therefore, if I were to rank the top five candidates with the most potential to become Malaysia’s next Prime Minister after Anwar Ibrahim, from most likely to least, my list would be:
- Nurul Izzah Anwar
- Hamzah Zainudin
- Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar
- Zahid hamidi
- Khairy Jamaluddin, and
- Rafizi Ramli.
I will take Fadhillah, Tuan Ibrahim and even Muhyiddin out of the list , because i think it is only a matter of time before Muhyiddin is going to be replaced by Hamzah. If he is not replaced by Hamzah, I think Perikatan will cease to have a PM candidate from Bersatu. Instead, it will come from Pas.
In conclusion, while pressure on Anwar is clearly building and the Malaysian political landscape is growing more volatile, any attempt to replace him still hinges on a fundamental factor that remains unresolved — the presence of a credible, unifying, and capable alternative. And for now, any serious conversation about a post-Anwar leadership is incomplete without a successor being clearly decided ans determined.
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