.jpg)
When the Mentee Starts Teaching the Mentor
By Mihar Dias August 2026
If politics were a university course, Anwar Ibrahim would have graduated with first-class honours in coalition building. He has spent decades navigating Malaysia's political minefield, outmanoeuvring rivals, surviving imprisonment, and eventually becoming Prime Minister.
But somewhere along the way, the student appears to have overtaken the master.
Obvioudly the NS election results following shortl after Barisan Nasional's labdslide in Johor, have reinforced one unmistakable reality. At state level, UMNO remains a formidable political machine. It knows every village, every branch chairman, every community leader and, perhaps most importantly, every voter who expects to see their elected representative more than once every five years.
With Melaka widely expected to produce another convincing BN performance, a fascinating political pattern is emerging.
Voters are quietly separating state politics from federal politics.
They may support Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to lead the nation through uncertain economic times, but when it comes to choosing who repairs drains, approves land titles, builds roads and attends weddings and funerals, they are returning to the familiar hands of Barisan Nasional.
It is political compartmentalisation at its finest.
The coalition may be united in Putrajaya, but the ballot box tells a more nuanced story.
Ironically, the greatest beneficiary may not be Anwar but his deputy, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
For years Zahid was regarded as the junior partner in the Unity Government, the man whose political future depended largely on Anwar's generosity and willingness to accommodate UMNO after the hung Parliament.
Today the relationship appears to have evolved.
The mentor still occupies the highest office in the land.
But increasingly, the mentee controls the stronger grassroots organisation.
Winning elections has a curious effect on political relationships. Every victory gives the victor greater confidence. Every defeat forces reflection. After Johor and Negeri Sembilan, and perhaps soon Melaka, the balance of influence inside the government may not look quite the same.
One can almost imagine the conversation.
“Thank you for bringing us into government.”
“You're welcome.”
“Now let us show you how to win elections.”
Of course, this is an exaggeration. Politics rarely changes overnight.
Yet numbers have a way of altering perceptions faster than speeches.
UMNO's election machinery, written off repeatedly over the past few years, seems to have rediscovered its rhythm. The branch network remains active. Its local leaders understand constituency politics. While others rely heavily on social media campaigns and national narratives, UMNO continues to practise the old-fashioned art of knocking on doors.
The lesson is simple.
Federal governments are judged by inflation, jobs, the economy and national leadership.
State governments are judged by potholes, markets, flood mitigation, land matters and whether the elected representative attends the local kenduri.
Voters understand the distinction better than politicians often give them credit for.
If Melaka follows Johor and Negeri Sembilan, analysts may finally have to abandon the assumption that state elections merely reflect national sentiment.
They do not.
Malaysians have become far more sophisticated.
They are perfectly capable of voting differently in different elections without feeling guilty about it.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, however, lies within the Unity Government itself.
The partnership between Anwar and Zahid was initially portrayed as one in which the veteran reformist would guide his coalition partner through difficult political terrain.
Today the political arithmetic suggests something rather different.
The mentor still writes the national policy.
The mentee is quietly writing the election manual.
And if that trend continues, the most astonished observer may well be the mentor himself, wondering when exactly the student stopped taking notes and started conducting the class.
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!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
