Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices

From courts to commissions, key posts are going unfilled while the Malaysian PM juggles coalition politics.

- Shannon Teoh

Back in May 2023, Transport Minister Anthony Loke dismissed reports that Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) vice-president Wee Jeck Seng would be appointed chairman of the national railway firm.

The episode seemed like an innocuous sidebar reflecting unnecessary political drama in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's crowded multi-coalition government.

As secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Mr Loke could ill afford the appointment of a leader from its main rival for the Chinese Malaysian vote. It was embarrassing enough for the DAP to be underrepresented in Datuk Seri Anwar's Cabinet formed six months ago despite supplying the premier with more seats than any other party.

Yet who would have guessed the incident was just the tip of the iceberg? Keretapi Tanah Melayu would go on without a chairman for two years. More worryingly, such vacancies at the highest echelon of Malaysia's key institutions would become commonplace under Mr Anwar's leadership.

A missing chairman at a government-linked enterprise might be waved away since it's the chief executive and senior management who keep the ship going.

But when the posts of judges and commissioners charged with overseeing the rule of law are unfilled, the implications are wider and could threaten to undermine the orderly functioning of society.

WHERE ARE THE JUDGES?

There is perhaps no better barometer of how severe the situation is than recent developments surrounding the judiciary. Malaysia headed off a potential crisis in July after a new chief justice and president of the Court of Appeal—the institution's top two positions—were finally appointed after months of intrigue and allegations that political interference by the Anwar administration was undermining the independence of the courts.

Yet the arm of the judiciary remains severely weakened.