Pakatan Harapan

First Transition and Collapse · Chronicle · 7 min read

Why Did the 2018 Election Change Government?

Mahathir Returns to the Forefront, Anwar Still in Prison, and the Night the 61-Year Rule Ended

On May 9, 2018, Pakatan Harapan secured a parliamentary majority, and Barisan Nasional lost federal power for the first time. Mahathir was sworn in the next day, and Anwar was subsequently pardoned; this decisive transition proved that power could be changed through the ballot box, but it did not automatically resolve the succession and trust issues between the two men.

First Transition and Collapse · Treatise · 11 min read

What Was Tabung Haji Financial Crisis?

Pilgrimage Savings, Red Alerts, and an Overdue Investigation Report

A bonus table brought Tabung Haji's most difficult question to the forefront: when assets were no longer sufficient to cover liabilities, why could the highest bonus still reach thirteen months? This is not an article against Tabung Haji, but one demanding it be worthy of the trust placed in it.

First Transition and Collapse · Chronicle · 6 min read

Harapan's Twenty-Two Months: Why the First Term Was Never Stable

Old Books Opened, Undi18 Passed, Yet the Succession Date Was Never Written Down

Pakatan Harapan's first stint in power saw both reforms and delays. Parliament unanimously passed Undi18 and automatic registration, while 1MDB and Tabung Haji accounts were reinvestigated; but ICERD, the Rome Statute, Mahathir's handover to Anwar, and Bersatu's anxieties dragged the first transition government toward fracture.

First Transition and Collapse · Chronicle · 2 min read

The Sheraton Move: How a Government Emerged Without an Election

A Hotel Dinner, Mahathir's Resignation, and How Muhyiddin Became the Eighth Prime Minister

In February 2020, Bersatu exited Pakatan Harapan, Azmin's faction left PKR, and Mahathir's resignation dissolved the cabinet. After the King assessed MPs' support one by one, Muhyiddin was sworn in on March 1; the change of government followed constitutional procedures but without a new national vote.

Unity Government and Reform · Chronicle · 3 min read

Why Did the 2022 Election Produce a Hung Parliament?

Harapan 82, Perikatan 74, BN 30, and Anwar's 24-Year Wait for the Oath

The 15th General Election produced a hung parliament: Pakatan Harapan 82 seats, Perikatan Nasional 74 seats, Barisan Nasional 30 seats, with no coalition reaching 112 seats. After the King consulted various parties, Anwar was appointed Prime Minister on November 24, forming a Unity Government with BN, GPS, and others.

Unity Government and Reform · Treatise · 5 min read

What Is Malaysia Unity Government?

How Harapan, BN, and Sarawak and Sabah Partners Turned a Hung Parliament into a Government

The 2022 general election did not give any coalition a simple majority. Anwar ultimately led a Unity Government composed of Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional, GPS, GRS, and others; this solved the cabinet formation arithmetic, but also forced the reform camp to explain: by cooperating with the long-criticized UMNO, how principles would not be swallowed by the deal.

Unity Government and Reform · Treatise · 6 min read

What Is the Unity Government Reform Scorecard as of July 2026?

Some Promises Became Law, Some Are Stuck at the Door, and Some Decisions Directly Consumed Reform Credibility

Anwar's government cannot be evaluated with just the word "stability" or "reform." The restoration of the Parliamentary Services Act and procurement legislation have yielded results; the constitutional amendment limiting the prime minister's term failed to get two-thirds, and the separation of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor's powers is still underway. Zahid first received a DNAA, and prosecutors later decided on no further action (NFA), making it the critical case testing prosecutorial independence and the Unity Government's conflict of interest.

Unity Government and Reform · Life · 4 min read

Who Is Muhyiddin Yassin? From UMNO Deputy to Pandemic Prime Minister after Sheraton

Johor Menteri Besar, deputy prime minister, Bersatu leader, eighth prime minister, and how a thin-majority government ruled during COVID-19

Muhyiddin rose for decades inside UMNO, serving as Johor Menteri Besar and deputy prime minister, before breaking with Najib over 1MDB and helping form Bersatu. After the Sheraton Move in 2020, he became prime minister, but had to govern through a pandemic, a thin majority, and an emergency controversy; to understand him is to understand how the old system recombined after the 2018 turnover.

Unity Government and Reform · Debate · 11 min read

Chinese Political Parties in Reformist Coalitions: Stay or Leave?

Broken coalition promises and successive electoral defeats—is staying in government one more day pushing reform from within, or simply eroding credibility? Six debaters, open debate, and three observers

In August 2026, the largest Chinese political party within Malaysia's reformist coalition held a special party congress to vote on whether to remain in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government. The catalyst was the August 1 Negeri Sembilan state election, in which the reformist coalition secured only 11 of 36 seats, losing decisively to a coalition of UMNO and allied parties. Those favouring continued participation argue that withdrawal would hand victory to a more conservative opposition, endangering minority communities; those advocating exit contend that unresolved corruption cases, repeated delays in Attorney-General reform, and unfulfilled promises mean staying merely exchanges trust for empty seats with no substantive negotiating power.

Unity Government and Reform · Treatise · 4 min read

Request Removal: 1,862 Times

Malaysia became Asia's most prolific government requester of TikTok content takedowns — a toolkit that changes its labels without changing its logic

Malaysia never banned TikTok. Yet in the second half of 2023, Malaysia was the Asian government that sent the most removal requests to TikTok — 1,862 requests covering 6,231 items. In Q1 2024 the figure jumped to 51,638 items. Pakatan Harapan pledged press freedom in 2018, then blocked five pro-opposition media outlets in 2023 and arrested an Australian editor.