Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian prime minister who rose from prison to power, must make a choice that will define his long-desired reign.
Will he cooperate with a corrupt coalition partner who is alleged to have launched slanderous attacks on the judiciary in an effort to free its imprisoned former leader, ex-prime minister Najib Razak, or will he uphold the reform and good governance principles that he has long vowed to uphold?
According to Menafn, the issue has unnerved Malaysians who are interested in reform and saw the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman as their final best chance to address the wrongs of a political system that has been rife with corruption for decades.
Even after the election in November, Anwar chose to team up with his longtime foe, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), and he was given the benefit of the doubt.
To the disappointment of many of his "reforms" fans, the 73-year-old premier has remained silent. It appears hesitant to respond to his UMNO coalition partners demanding their former leader's release.
Although Anwar is not the only person who can decide what happens to Najib, analysts believe that he will have a big impact on the committee that will consider whether or not to grant him a pardon.
According to members of the imprisoned ex- premier's closest circle, Anwar has more to gain politically by giving in to UMNO's demands than to lose.
"For Anwar's political survival, the pardon simply makes sense. And if he truly wants to make the changes he wants to make to the system, he needs that time and that backing, according to a person close to Najib who asked to remain anonymous.
His situation is truly quite dangerous. The entire house of cards may collapse if UMNO withdrew its backing because Anwar is completely dependent on it, the same insider informed Asia Times.
The precedent was established by Anwar. The pardons board can meet in a week if there is political will, which is what transpired in his instance, the insider claimed.
Anwar was serving his second stint in prison on sodomy charges that were widely criticized both domestically and internationally as being politically motivated. A week after the PH coalition first came into power in May 2018, Anwar received a royal pardon from the country's then-constitutional monarch, who acceded to a Pardons Board's recommendation for his release.
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