Pakatan Harapan (PH)

The Islamist party PAS is ascendant, but Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's current response to the group risks doing more harm than good.

The move comes after a turbulent year for Anwar Ibrahim and his unity government.

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

This month's state elections saw broad electoral gains for the Malay nationalist PN coalition, the result of years of far-right rhetoric and organizing.

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.

Ahead of the August 12 elections, the country remains highly politically polarized along ethnic lines.

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.

Having finally scaled the pinnacle of his country's politics, will political compromises now undermine Anwar's dream of a genuinely democratic Malaysia?

The 28-member cabinet, which included members of four coalitions and an independent MP, was sworn in on Saturday.

Despite Anwar Ibrahim’s ultimate victory at the head of a progressive, multi-ethnic coalition, the space for more pluralistic politics in Malaysia is closing.

Who the newly appointed prime minister chooses could determine the fate of his sprawling unity government.

While the November 19 election resulted in a victory for his multi-ethnic Pakatan Harapan bloc, the forces of conservative Malay nationalism have perhaps never been stronger.