It’s official: Dato’ Seri Haji Anwar Ibrahim is Malaysia’s 10th prime minister.
On 24 November 2022 at 5 pm, Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister at Istana Negara. This officially ended his two-decade-long wait for the post and the country’s five-day political tumult.
As the chairman of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, he won a total of 82 seats during the polls. Despite having the lead, he still needed to fulfil the 112 seats required to form a government. To achieve this, the coalition bands with smaller blocs to form a unity government.
After 20 long years leading the opposition, he is now Malaysia’s 10th prime minister, following his predecessors Dato’ Seri Ismail Sabfi (PM9) and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (PM8).
Things to know about Malaysia’s 10th prime minister Anwar Ibrahim:
Anwar Ibrahim’s net worth is RM11.17 million
Ahead of the 15th General Elections (GE15), he declared his assets of RM11.17 million. In a bid for political transparency, he encouraged other leaders to follow suit.
Per his statutory declaration, his cash in the bank is RM828,000, with his properties and land declared at RM10.35 million. He was also earning RM21,755.69 monthly as the Port Dickson member of parliament.
Farid Kamil is set to play Anwar Ibrahim in an upcoming movie
A biopic about the new premier is set to air in early 2023. In this film, Malaysia’s 10th prime minister is played by Malaysian veteran actor, Farid Kamil. Alongside him, playing Dato’ Seri Dr Wan Azizah and Tun Dr Mahathir are Acha Septriasa and Hasnul Rahmat.
Currently still in its production phase, this film sees the two neighbouring countries—Malaysia and Indonesia—collaborating to create this much-anticipated film.
Anwar Ibrahim’s wife and daughter are also actively involved in Malaysian politics
Although Anwar Ibrahim is currently the talk of the town across the globe, his wife Wan Azizah and daughter Nurul Izzah are big contenders in the local political scene, with years and years beneath the belt in representing the people.
In 1999, Wan Azizah was elected as a member of parliament for Permatang Pauh, a constituency that was under Anwar Ibrahim’s care prior to his arrest. She successfully retained the seat in the 2004 and 2008 general elections.
On the other hand, Nurul Izzah pulled a surprise by winning the 2008 elections where she was a candidate for the Lembah Pantai seat, a constituency that was once Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s, a powerful three-term incumbent.
Scores of influential figures from across the globe dialled in to congratulate Malaysia’s 10th prime minister
Following his appointment as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim was fielding calls ahead of his maiden press conference. Calls included Indonesia’s Joko Widodo and Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Over on Twitter, the Dalai Lama, India’s Narendra Modi, the United State’s Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and many more poured in their congratulatory wishes online.
Congratulations to the people of Malaysia on their national elections and to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. We look forward to strengthening our comprehensive partnership and advancing a more sustainable, secure, inclusive, and prosperous Malaysia and Indo-Pacific.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 24, 2022
He has vowed to not take a prime minister’s salary during his service
During the campaign period, one of his promises was to not take the Prime Minister’s salary should Pakatan Harapan win GE15. This was his show of solidarity with the people who are struggling with the rising cost of living.
At his first press conference, he reiterated that he won’t be taking the wage, affirming his stance.
He spent seven years in prison
Before securing the top job, he spent a decade behind bars, serving time for sodomy and corruption charges, all of which he claimed to be politically motivated. In 2018, he received a royal pardon.
His pen of choice during his swear-in ceremony was the Artline 210
On 24 November 2022 and during his most historical moment, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim used a regular and super affordable Artline 210 Medium 0.6 pen in black when signing the documents at his swear-in ceremony. Priced at around RM3, the pen is favoured by many architectural and design students who have expressed their excitement about using this very pen too. Get yours now before it’s sold out.
Featured and hero image credit: Anwar Ibrahim/Instagram. Additional text by Amalina Anuar
