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Malaysia's Mahathir Mulls Risks, Rewards of Postponed Power Transfer

Zsombor Peter

   KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's government looks increasingly likely to miss
   a promised mid-2020 leadership transfer from Prime Minister Mahathir
   Mohamad to coalition partner Anwar Ibrahim, raising fears of a
   succession scuffle that could split an already fragile alliance and
   cost it the next election.

   The former mentor and protégé fell out in the late 1990s but joined
   forces again to hand the country's long-ruling and corruption-mired
   Barisan Nasional coalition a surprise national election defeat in May
   2018 by promising to clean up government, lower living costs and
   bolster minority rights. Heading into the polls, Mahathir, now the
   world's oldest serving prime minister at 94, also vowed to step down to
   make way for Anwar after two years "at the most."

   However, Mahathir, enjoying his second spell as prime minister, after a
   22-year run that ended in 2003, has dithered.

   In an interview with Reuters last month, he reaffirmed his vow to
   anoint Anwar his successor. Only days later, at the Doha Forum in
   Qatar, an annual high-level policy gathering, he would not commit to
   Anwar as heir apparent and said he would consider stepping down only
   after Malaysia finished hosting the next summit of Asia-Pacific
   Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries in November.

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