‘Turun Anwar is trending but is it the answer? — E Jia Xi

Malay Mail

4 days ago

JULY 23 — In recent weeks, 'Turun Anwar' has emerged as the battle cry of certain protest groups and online campaigns, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The slogan is loud, simple, and emotionally charged. To many Malaysians, this is more than a slogan. It is a cry of frustration.
Frustration that prices are still high. Frustration that reforms seem slow. Frustration that hope, once renewed in 2022 - now feels distant again.
These feelings are valid. They deserve to be acknowledged, not dismissed. But they also demand reflection. Because while it's easy to direct our anger at one man or administration, the real answer lies deeper.
Structural pain, not personal failure
Malaysia did not become unequal, indebted, or inefficient overnight. For over 20 years, our economy became overly reliant on subsidies instead of productivity. Our education system stagnated. Corruption hollowed out public trust. Talent fled, and key sectors were left behind.
When Anwar Ibrahim took office in late 2022, he didn't just inherit a seat, he inherited a ticking fiscal time bomb.
An annual subsidy bill ballooning to over RM80 billion.
Billions borrowed today just to repay the RM48 billion 1MDB debt.
National debt and liabilities approaching RM1.5 trillion.
27 consecutive years of budget deficit.
A rakyat fatigued by instability, and suspicious of every policy.
None of this can be solved in two and a half years. To claim otherwise is either naive, or dishonest.
The world is hurting - not just us
Malaysia doesn't exist in a vacuum. Global inflation didn't spare us. Since the pandemic, supply chains have fractured. Wars in Ukraine and Gaza have pushed commodity prices upward. The US, China, and Europe are battling their own inflation crises, while central banks worldwide are raising interest rates.
We are not alone in our struggles. But we are one of the few countries still maintaining targeted subsidies for essentials like rice, fuel, and electricity. Instead of kicking the can down the road, like so many governments before - Anwar's administration chose to restructure: slowly, and at a political cost.
That is what real reform looks like. Not optics. Not giveaways. Not performative outrage. But doing the difficult work that no one dares to do when elections are near.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim speaks during an event at the Tun Azizan Zainul Abidin Auditorium in Putrajaya on June 18, 2025. — Bernama pic
Democracy was never meant to be easy
The 2022 general election left us with no clear majority, and it was only through consensus and royal intervention that a unity government was formed. For the first time in decades, Malaysia had a fragile chance at ruling party alternation. If we derail this compromise before it bears fruit, what precedent are we setting for our democracy?
That a government is only legitimate if it delivers miracles in two years?
That we want change, but only if it feels good, fast, and free?
That's not democracy. That's impatience dressed as principle.
We forget that democratic maturity isn't measured by how often we change leaders but by how well we hold them accountable without collapsing the system. And we must ask: if not Anwar, then who? If not now, then when? If we replace a government midstream with no credible alternative coalition, we invite chaos.
When opposition politicians chant hashtags instead of offering real solutions, they are not building a better future. They are gambling with our present. They want power, not progress. And when the dust settles, it will be us who juggle three jobs, or struggle to pay rent, not them.
Criticism is healthy, cynicism is not
This is not a call for blind loyalty. Anwar and his team must communicate better, listen harder, and act faster. Malaysians have every right to demand more: more transparency, more empathy, more urgency.
But tearing down a reformist government without offering a better plan is not activism. It is despair.
If we really want to fight injustice, then our frustration must fuel policy advocacy, not performative hashtags.
We can choose to be angry and constructive. We can hold our leaders accountable and protect our democratic process. These are not contradictions. They are the duties of citizens in a fragile democracy.
We are all being tested, not just the PM
This is not just Anwar Ibrahim's test. It is ours.
Can we resist the temptation of instant gratification? Can we support reform even when it hurts in the short term? Can we distinguish between disappointment and disaster?
Anwar is not perfect. No leader is. But for the first time in a long time, we have a leader trying to clean up the mess instead of covering it up. That deserves scrutiny, not sabotage.
We've spent decades watching this country fall apart. Don't let a moment of frustration undo the hope we've finally begun to rebuild.
Reform is not a sprint. It is a long, uneven road. If we abandon it at the first storm, we'll never know how far we could've gone.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.