PRESSURE FROM BORNEO
The real pressure in the new year will come from Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah’s election reinforced state nationalism, while Sarawak remains a fortress from federal politics.
Anwar faces implementing Sabah’s court-affirmed 40 per cent revenue entitlement from 1974 onward, a multibillion-ringgit obligation. If Anwar agrees to pay this amount, even by instalments, it will cause the Malay establishment in the peninsula to turn against him. This is a political certainty. Yet any delay could alienate crucial Borneo support.
Ultimately, 2026 looms as a crucial year for Anwar ahead of the 16th general election (GE16), due by February 2028. He has to show he deserves to win. His opponents never forget to remind him that he did not win the last GE, and that the king asked him to form a government, which he was only able to do that with support from Borneo.
Will Borneo give him another chance, or can he win big in Malaya alone with PH and BN? He must deliver tangible wins to justify his appointed premiership back in 2022.
As the new year dawns, Malaysia’s political snake pit shows no signs of settling. Anwar enters without holiday respite, facing escalating challenges within and outside party ranks. Stability hinges on deft navigation of these eruptions, failure risks deeper fragmentation in an already polarised nation.
James Chin is Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania, and Senior Research Associate, Tun Tan Cheng Lock Institute of Social Studies, Malaysia.
Source: CNA
