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My Way, PMX? Or Every Which Way?
By Mihar Dias July 2026
Politics has always been theatre. The only thing that changes is the soundtrack.
Last week, while Johor voters were being courted with the usual promises of better roads, better jobs and a better tomorrow, Putrajaya offered something entirely different: Frank Sinatra.
There stood Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, microphone in hand, crooning My Way while his visiting Thai counterpart, Anutin Charnvirakul, accompanied him on the saxophone. https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/124852/anwar-anutin-spark-special-moment-with-my-way-duet-video
It was, admittedly, a charming moment.
Diplomacy has always benefited from music. Winston Churchill enjoyed painting, Ronald Reagan told jokes, and Bill Clinton made the saxophone almost an instrument of statecraft. A little humanity never hurts.
But timing, as every politician knows, is everything.
As campaign workers in Johor sweated under the tropical sun convincing voters that the future of the nation depended on a cross in the correct box, their leader was serenading luncheon guests with perhaps the most politically loaded song ever written.
“My Way.”
One almost expected the Election Commission to replace campaign ceramah with karaoke competitions.
The irony, of course, is irresistible.
"My Way" is a song about unwavering conviction. It celebrates a man who ignored fashion, resisted pressure and stayed faithful to his principles until the very end.
Malaysian politics, however, has rarely resembled Sinatra's lyrics.
Here, "my way" often becomes "our way" after an election, "your way" during coalition negotiations and "any way" if it helps secure a parliamentary majority.
Perhaps we have misunderstood the title all along.
Maybe "My Way" in Malaysian politics does not refer to principles.
It refers to flexibility.
Anwar himself has travelled one of the most remarkable political journeys anywhere in the democratic world.
Firebrand Islamist youth leader.
UMNO rising star.
Deputy Prime Minister.
Political prisoner.
Reformasi icon.
Government critic.
Coalition builder.
Prime Minister leading perhaps Malaysia's broadest and most ideologically diverse administration.
If evolution were an Olympic sport, Malaysia would be bringing home gold medals.
His admirers call it maturity.
His critics call it inconsistency.
Political scientists call it coalition management.
The rest of us simply reach for popcorn.
The beauty of the performance was that everyone watching could interpret it according to their own political preference.
Supporters saw confidence.
Opponents saw choreography.
The undecided probably wondered whether saxophone lessons were now compulsory for ASEAN diplomacy.
There is something uniquely Malaysian about our politicians.
They can quote Karl Marx in the morning, Adam Smith after lunch and Confucius before dinner without suffering ideological jet lag.
One begins to suspect that consistency is no longer considered a virtue. Adaptability is.
Perhaps we should stop calling politicians turncoats.
"Chameleons" sounds so much more environmentally friendly.
To be fair, politics does require compromise.
No leader governs by rigid dogma forever. Circumstances change. Coalitions shift. Reality intrudes.
But there is a fine line between adapting to circumstances and adapting to audiences.
One requires wisdom.
The other requires excellent stage management.
The Johor election merely sharpened the symbolism.
Every handshake becomes a campaign poster.
Every smile becomes a strategy.
Every song becomes a message, intended or otherwise.
When a Prime Minister sings during an election campaign, people naturally wonder whether they are witnessing diplomacy, entertainment or simply another carefully rehearsed act in the longest-running political production in town.
Perhaps it was none of these.
Perhaps it was simply two leaders enjoying a musical moment.
Then again, politicians rarely do anything “simply.”
Especially in election season.
Frank Sinatra ended My Way with the unforgettable line: “The record shows I took the blows and did it my way.”
Malaysia's political record may eventually show something rather different.
Not that our leaders always did it their way.
But that they possessed the extraordinary talent of knowing exactly whose way it needed to be, depending on who happened to be watching.
And if that isn't political versatility, it certainly deserves a standing ovation. Or at least an encore.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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