One eye to rule them all
Inside Anwar’s quest to consolidate power.
I’m back on the Malaysia beat as promised.
And, boy, do I have a backlog — including a follow-up to Brainjam’s Khazanah series and a Q&A on Malaysia’s delayed climate bill.
But there’s so much happening right now that even I need to catch my breath. (Clearly, I’ve been ignoring cardio.)
There are some undercurrents worth paying attention to at the moment, all revolving around Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
On the surface, the country appears to be on a better track, with positive headlines on macroeconomic fundamentals.
But it’s what’s underneath that’s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
First, an ICYMI on Malaysia’s wealthiest man Robert Kuok and Wilmar’s legal woes:
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Over the past week, I managed to squeeze time with an array of sources — from politics to business — to piece some of the puzzles together since a grand chess game is afoot.
The first thing that cropped up, of course, is the vicious cycle that has come to define Anwar-style power consolidation.
We are seeing this play out with a mix of ‘90s-style corporate tussles. And no economic sector is spared, not even private equity and venture capital.