Last Saturday, Malaysia’s longest-serving former premier, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, stood before a sea of rally-goers in downtown Kuala Lumpur and called for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s resignation – the man who was once his political ally, friend, and later turned nemesis.
The 100-year-old leader said the people had rejected Anwar’s leadership, accusing him of failing them since taking office more than two years ago.
“You’ve travelled to 34 countries while we suffer. Step down, do not turn a deaf ear to us,” Dr Mahathir said, drawing a roar from the crowd. He was referring to Anwar’s frequent overseas trips, which have cost the country RM16 million since 2022.
The remark was not just about travel. It was a calculated jab – part of a broader criticism that the prime minister is disconnected from the everyday struggles of Malaysians. While Anwar has defended the trips as necessary to attract investment and boost trade, critics like Dr Mahathir see them as tone-deaf amid rising living costs.
But according to analysts, the rally – with all its theatrics and crowd energy – exposed more about the opposition’s weaknesses than the government’s.
Organised by an opposition coalition and drawing largely Malay supporters, Malaysia’s largest ethnic group, the protest failed to attract the kind of multiethnic support that had defined past reform movements, observers noted.
Malaysia is a multiracial country, with Malays making up 58 per cent of the country’s 34.2 million population, followed by Chinese at 22.4 per cent and Indians at about 6 per cent.
A test of strength and limits
Analysts viewed the rally as more symbolic than consequential. The unity government, led by Anwar and backed by a clear parliamentary majority, has not faced a formal vote of no confidence.
“It was a reflection of a fragmented opposition trying to stay relevant rather than a genuine groundswell of dissatisfaction,” said Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi, a political analyst at Universiti Malaya.
He added that the peaceful handling of the rally reflected Anwar’s democratic tolerance – a contrast to previous administrations known for harsh crackdowns.
The protest came just days after Anwar announced relief measures – a move widely seen as both a political and policy response to rising public pressure. These included a one-off RM100 cash aid for all Malaysians aged 18 and above, and a six-sen-per-litre reduction in petrol prices.
Some critics labelled Anwar’s announcement as a pre-emptive sweetener, while others viewed it as part of the administration’s ongoing, albeit slow, effort to deliver on its reformist mandate.
Old narratives, new expectations
From a civil society perspective, the protest failed to gain broader traction. Maria Chin Abdullah, former chair of electoral watchdog Bersih, said the message was “unclear and politically motivated.”
“This was more about the opposition trying to grab back power, and that’s not what the country needs right now,” she told Twentytwo13.
“We need reforms and stability – not more upheaval.”
Associate Professor Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate with the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia, said the rally lacked the clarity and inclusivity that once defined Malaysia’s reformist street movements.
“It brought attention to the ethnic narrowness of the opposition’s base and its failure to engage civil society,” she said.
While the Bersih protests held a decade ago drew half a million diverse Malaysians with demands for institutional reforms and clean governance, the Turun Anwar protest focused solely on removing the prime minister – with no clear plan for what comes next.
“The opposition remains unattractive as it is seen as too exclusionary, conservative especially on religion. Its base is there, but the opposition is not winning over the middle ground,” Welsh noted.
Rally goers at the Turun Anwar rally in Kuala Lumpur on July 26, 2025. Image: Twentytwo13
A shifting political culture
Estimates of the crowd ranged from modest to significant, with some citing up to 25,000 participants. But analysts say street demonstrations no longer hold the same power as in previous decades.
“There’s both protest fatigue and a changed political environment,” said Awang Azman.
“Malaysians are more issue-focused now. And with peaceful protests no longer suppressed, the novelty has worn off.”
With support from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, the legitimacy of Anwar’s government remains firm despite rumblings from the ground.
“The turnout shows public discontent exists, but not in numbers or form that threaten stability. That, in itself, signals political maturity,” he told Twentytwo13.
A country of the possible
Even so, the Turun Anwar rally was not without meaning. It highlighted voter frustration and reminded both government and opposition that public patience is not infinite.
“Malaysia remains a country of the possible. But people have been let down before. That creates disengagement,” said Welsh.
And for Anwar, the challenges are not only coming from outside, but also within.
Beyond opposition noise, he faces internal strain over the ongoing incarceration of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is serving a 12-year sentence for corruption.
Leaders from Umno – the dominant Malay party in Anwar’s coalition – have openly lobbied for Najib’s release, putting the prime minister at odds with his own reformist base, including his long-term ally, the Chinese-centric Democratic Action Party, which insists Najib must serve his sentence in full.
Still, Anwar may weather the pressure through careful negotiation and political balancing, keeping the government intact until the next general election.
And for the opposition, the Turun Anwar rally may have been a roar – but without direction or breadth, it risks fading into an echo.
