Malaysia Matters Podcast

Good idea. Anwar’s deadlines are doing real harm - and not just to Malaysians unsure about the stability of their government.

Anwar can ill-afford to further deteriorate his credibility through failed expectations.

But promises aren’t his only worry. The secrecy surrounding his claim of 31 defectors has people asking questions. For instance, if the 31 have conviction in their desire to cross over, why not show some strength of character and come clean? Why not make the defection public?  And really, what is the likelihood that not a single name of of 31 would have been leaked? Finally, is it plausible that PAS and DAP leadership would not have demanded to know by now?

A large reason for the success that the PKR has enjoyed is backlash against the diminished credibility of BN. But that backlash may be dimmed through contradictory statements, unfulfilled expectations, and questionable secrecy as raised above. 

So what will Anwar do? 

“If he has the numbers, I suppose that the best thing, the easiest thing for him to do is to defeat the government budget bill… So, I think actually he would lie low now,” Wong said. “If he has the numbers, he perhaps would pull it off on late October. I mean, by defeating the budget bill, that’s effectively a no confidence on the government. I think, like it or not, his failure in fulfilling his plan has eroded a bit of his credibility.”