Eastern Promises: Anwar’s Malay-Muslim Dilemma

Eastern Promises: Anwar’s Malay-Muslim Dilemma

Dr. Lim Teck Ghee 11 SEPT 2023 In 2009 a highly regarded American weekly magazine, The New Yorker, which features journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry, published an article by author, Ian Buruma, examining political developments in Malaysia.

The article, Eastern Promises, which had the sub-title, A once imprisoned politician may be his country’s best chance for reform, provided to the world a window into the nation’s political development during the Mahathir and post Mahathir era, and the role of race and religion in the country.

The political personality which the article focused on was Anwar Ibrahim with a large part of the essay chronicling Anwar’s rise and fall and rise again. It also provided perspectives from various respondents on the political developments, politicians and parties of that period. The article posited that “[i]n the next general election, possibly as soon as 2010, Anwar Ibrahim may well become the Prime Minister of Malaysia”.

That possibility has happened, although more than a decade later. Today all of the burning issues of that period are still with us, and challenging the country and its leaders.

Following its publication, Anwar in a Facebook post in 2010 reproduced the article in toto with the title, The Malay Dilemma.

Available to viewers until a few days ago, visitors to that page are now greeted with the following message:

Although that FB post is no longer accessible, it is useful to be reminded of the article with its insights into the thinking of Anwar in his continuing political journey and the dilemma that he struggles with to balance - and hopefully overcome - the forces of race and religion in the country.

The article can be accessed at https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/05/18/eastern-promises

Lim Teck Ghee PhD is a Malaysian economic historian, policy analyst and public intellectual whose career has straddled academia, civil society organisations and international development agencies. He has a regular column, Another Take, in The Sun, a Malaysian daily; and is author of Challenging the Status Quo in Malaysia.