Malaysia’s next king may face politically key decision

Significance

His five-year term is set to begin early next year. Separately, a key governing partner to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition is the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)-led Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance, an erstwhile rival. UMNO stalwart Najib Razak, a former premier, is currently in jail for corruption.

Impacts

• Even if Anwar helped secure a pardon for Najib, the two would likely struggle to get past their long-standing enmity.
• Anwar will strive to maintain good relations with Sultan Ibrahim, including by ensuring that government policies boost Johor.
• Sultan Ibrahim’s close connections to leaders in Singapore and China could help strengthen Malaysia’s relations with those two countries.