This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 25, 2023 - December 31, 2023

It is without a doubt that Kedah Menteri Besar (MB) Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has a penchant for courting controversy with his no-holds-barred speeches that seem to delight his supporters on the campaign trail. However, not everyone is amused.

In July, Sanusi was charged with two counts of sedition under Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act at the Selayang Magistrate Court, after he allegedly insulted the Selangor Ruler, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, in a speech. This followed numerous police reports filed, including by the Selangor Royal Council.

However, his antics could be one of the reasons for his popularity with Kedahan Malays, contributing to Perikatan Nasional’s landslide victory in the Aug 12 state elections, winning 33 out of 36 seats.

During the nomination day for the Jeneri seat for the Kedah state elections in August, Sanusi, knowing full well the highly charged atmosphere of the crowd, went over to the Barisan Nasional supporters’ camp, which almost resulted in a brawl.

Sanusi also found himself in hot soup when the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the police started an investigation on the mining of rare earth materials in Kedah. The issue became a campaign material between PN and the unity government during the Kedah state elections.

He is also facing legal action — initiated by Berjaya Corp Bhd founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Selangor MB Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari — for purportedly saying that 600 acres of Selangor state land worth RM10 billion were given for free to Berjaya.

But even after the state elections, Sanusi is still making remarks that rub people up the wrong way. He was most recently criticised for comparing Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing to a “pot-bellied deity”.

Can Sanusi, in his second term as Kedah MB, stay out of trouble for his candid utterances? — By Kamarul Azhar

There is no such thing as retirement for former prime minister (PM) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The nonagenarian last year retired from politics, following the huge defeat by his third political party Parti Pejuang Tanah Air in the 15th General Election.

As such, few would have imagined him campaigning for PAS, once his staunchest opposition through his 77-year political career.

In July, Mahathir donned a green jacket commonly worn by PAS supporters on stage at a major event by the Islamist party in Kota Bharu, calling for support for the opposition Perikatan Nasional in the upcoming six state polls.

He was later appointed as adviser for the four states under PN rule — Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu — particularly on effective governing as well as to connect the states with foreign investors. In October, he took it a step further by attending the PAS Muktamar (congress), and campaigned for PAS in the Kemaman by-election.

He has doubled down on the Malay nationalist agenda, which he championed in his active days in politics. In a recent interview, Mahathir declared that he and the political party DAP, another foe-turned-ally in the run-up to GE14, both used each other to topple former PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2018.

Always actively commenting on policy matters — especially with his former protégé and nemesis Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim currently serving as PM — Mahathir also repeated calls for the pegging of the ringgit, a controversial move he made during the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis, following its decline to near-record lows against the US dollar in October.

He has also continued to actively champion the Palestinian cause, especially in the wake of the Israeli military action in Gaza, urging Islamic world leaders to take bolder steps to put an end to the conflict.

Now 98, Mahathir recently said at an interview that he can still walk down the stairs, although he is unable to climb up. Such restrictions do not slow him down, and Malaysians can expect to see the two-time PM continue to speak his mind on both the domestic and international fronts. — By Adam Aziz

Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, who is the member of parliament (MP) for Machang, Kelantan and head of the youth division of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, has been a vocal critic of the unity government.

Wan Fayhsal had been on the other side before, as deputy minister of national unity from Aug 30, 2021, to Nov 24, 2022, under Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s government.

In the opposition, he is vocal on many issues, asking pertinent questions in parliament, from whether the government was considering pegging the ringgit, to its stance on China’s investments in the country.

He had questioned the sale of a 33% stake in Boustead Plantations Bhd (BPlant) to Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK) for RM1.15 billion. KLK would then jointly undertake a mandatory takeover with Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera and its subsidiary Boustead Holdings Bhd to acquire all the remaining shares in BPlant they did not own at RM1.55 apiece.

Wan Fayhsal’s contention was that 221,000 acres of plantation land would fall into the hands of non-bumiputera individuals, if the deal proceeded. He asked why the deal was not done with Sime Darby Bhd or Permodalan Nasional Bhd to preserve bumiputera equity ownership.

In response, then defence minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said in parliament that the proceeds of RM1.15 billion would be used to address Boustead’s cash flow issues and debt settlement of RM800 million by end-2023. He also explained that 15 companies involved in the plantation sector — including Sime Darby Plantations Bhd, Lembaga Tabung Haji, Tradewinds Corp Bhd and FGV Holdings Bhd — had been invited to the two- to three-month bidding period for the BPlant stake, but most of the companies declined to participate or made too low of an offer.

Under intense scrutiny, the deal fell through. LTAT — as KLK’s partner in the privatisation — was forced to carry on with the RM1.55 per share offer on its own. As a result of this, the government has opted to inject RM300 million immediately into LTAT to boost its coffers and inject a further RM2 billion at a later date.

While Wan Fayhsal’s spirit and determination are enviable, he does rub many up the wrong way, and will be watched next year to see what he comes up with next. — By Jose Barrock

If the future looked uncertain for Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar (KJ) after losing in the 15th General Election in November 2022, things got worse when he was sacked by Umno in January this year for breaching party disciplinary rules “due to wrongdoings during the GE15”.

KJ stood in the Sungai Buloh parliamentary seat but lost to first-timer Datuk Ramanand Ramakrishnan, PKR’s deputy information chief. However, the former Umno Youth chief said as recent as June this year that he still did not know why he was sacked.

Proving he is no pushover, KJ has reinvented himself in another sphere altogether. He and Shahril Hamdan — former economic director at the Prime Minister’s Office and former information chief and vice youth chief of Umno before he resigned in November last year — have a very successful weekly political podcast, Keluar Sekejap, which commenced in March this year.

Conversations on the podcast with KJ’s guests, such as former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, often make headlines and are talked about by followers of local politics.

KJ is also a radio deejay with Hot FM and in May extended his contract to December. He has also been appointed Johor youth advisor, and into the Johor Darul Ta’zim Football Club’s board by the Johor crown prince.

In August this year, when asked by The Edge on a comeback to politics, KJ — who at 47 years of age has been a minister, and an MP three times — said, “There have been some offers, but I don’t see a clear path. The choices available are completely uninspired.”

KJ should be watched as he is perhaps more popular now than he has ever been, but the key question remains — will he return to active politics next year? — By Jose Barrock

Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was a rising star in Malaysian politics, but the sheen on the budding politician is waning after a few miscalculations as he is sidelined by mainstream politics that revolves around race, religion and major personalities.

While he captured the imagination of many with his vision of a new Malaysia, Syed Saddiq did not have sufficient support to bring about change. Hence, when his party the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) announced that it will no longer be part of the unity government coalition, few bat an eyelid. .

When he announced the withdrawal of his support for the unity government to form a third force in the opposition, PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim lost his two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat. However, it was not long before five Bersatu MPs declared their support for the PM.

Syed Saddiq stuck to his ideals, insisting that Malaysia is ready for meritocracy and it was his disappointment with the discharge not amounting to an acquittal granted to Deputy PM Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for his corruption charges that led to his withdrawal from the unity government.

Then, in November, Syed Saddiq became the first politician in Malaysia to be penalised with caning, after he was found guilty by the High Court for corruption involving a RM1.2 million fund belonging to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s youth wing, when he was its chief.

Following the conviction, he stepped down as president of Muda as he was “undeserving of the role of party president” and to clear his name.

Syed Saddiq is only 31. Will he be able to pull through from this setback? Will Muda survive? — By Kamarul Azhar

Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin was among the Umno MPs who left the party in 2018 citing differences with the way Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was leading the party. After five years, Ahmad Zahid is still Umno president and has become stronger in the party by virtue of also being the deputy PM.

The 66-year-old Hamzah is the opposition leader in a weakened Bersatu that has been fractured due to five MPs throwing their support behind the current government under Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Although Hamzah is the opposition leader in parliament, he has not cemented himself as the PM candidate if an opportunity arises for Perikatan Nasional to rule Putrajaya.

That is because within Bersatu itself, Hamzah has yet to firmly position himself as the successor to party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The Bersatu party elections next year will provide an opportunity for Hamzah to move up the ladder.

Also, PAS has a few technocrats in its ranks, suggesting that any of them are also potential PM candidates.

A firm advocate of Muafakat Nasional, Hamzah was one of the architects of the formation of Perikatan Nasional, which replaced the Pakatan Harapan 1.0 government in February 2020. His role in the Sheraton Move came as no surprise considering the rivalry between him and Anwar that goes back to the days when they were both in Umno.

Technically, Bersatu is a smaller partner in Perikatan Nasional with 26 MPs against PAS, which has 41. Hamzah cannot afford to see more Bersatu MPs pledging their allegiance to Anwar if he is to remain as opposition leader from Bersatu.

A solution is to start negotiations with the current government with regard to the opposition MPs getting their annual parliamentary allocation. Will Hamzah get the ball rolling? — By M Shanmugam

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