Anwar Ibrahim

The Malaysian prime minister is hoping that by tackling one challenge – corruption – he can make inroads into the other two.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is using the same repressive tools against his opponents that were used against his party during its years in opposition.

The decision comes less than two weeks after the dropping of corruption charges against an ally for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The defection has deprived Anwar Ibrahim's government of its two-thirds parliamentary majority in Parliament.

The dismissal of the case against Deputy PM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has again called into question Anwar's anti-corruption credentials.

In Saturday's six state elections, Anwar's government and the Malay nationalist opposition each retained control of three states.

Less than a year since the last general election, the country's political parties are gearing up for another round of electoral battle across six states.

President Marcos Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim say that Southeast Asian governments should be allowed to engage the junta informally.

The current administration is well placed to use religious soft power to drive foreign investments and interest in the Malaysian economy.

The six state polls, especially those in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, shape as a crucial political test for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan coalition.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed hopes that the judgement would spell an end to the attempts to enforce a controversial $15 billion ruling.

The decision comes amid a rise in racial and religious online rhetoric as the country moves toward important state elections.