Anwar’s years-long political imprisonment has not diminished the nation’s confidence in him. This is crucial for him now that he is very close to the prime minister’s post. He, his wife, their five daughters and one son have been humiliated by his political opponents, but May’s election proved that the Malaysian people remain respectful of the family. 

Assuming office as the prime minister is just a matter of formality and technicality for Anwar now.

I will bet on this conclusion although you may dismiss it as naive and illogical. I have reasons to support my confident assertion. As prime minister in the 1990s, Mahathir was so eager to jail his deputy Anwar on sodomy charges that Indonesians derided Mahathir’s actions as triggered by overzealousness.

Both Anwar and Mahathir will prove that all fears and pessimistic predictions —and more importantly the high hopes of the new opposition — that they will renew their past political spat are totally unfounded.

I do believe they will mainly focus on how to leave a long-lasting legacy for their country rather than pursuing vested interests like the other powers-that-be. This is partly because of their age, Anwar is 71 years old and Mahathir is 94. 

For his part, as a former dictator, Mahathir has achieved all his political ambitions. Now he is the world’s oldest democratically elected leader. This is perhaps the last chance for him to be remembered as the beloved Grandfather of Malaysia. 

One of my reasons for optimism about the two figures is the new government’s courage not only to bring former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife to justice, which is a popular act with minimum risk, but more importantly to renegotiate questionable projects worth billions of US dollars signed during Najib’s tenure. The Mahathir government has to deal with China’s signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The new Malaysian government is daring to take risks to realize its election promises. These actions include the cancelation and renegotiation of mega projects with China, the delay and the rearrangement of a high-speed train project with Singapore. Few people had expected that Mahathir would succeed in persuading Chinese President Xi Jinping to soften his stance on China’s globally strategic projects, but they were wrong. Against the odds, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has also agreed to delay the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore railway project for two years.

And last week, the Cabinet of the Muslim-majority state of Malaysia, surprised the world by announcing the abolition of the death penalty; mandatory hanging for those convicted of murder, drug trafficking, treason and waging war against the king. Although this radical policy was part of the ruling coalition’s campaign platform, it clearly failed to gain adequate attention from the voters. The personal goal of Anwar is no longer how to eventually to realize his long-overdue dream of becoming prime minister or for Mahathir to cling on to power despite his two-year tenure commitment. I don’t think they have any intention of renewing the fight and use old dirty tactics (including sodomy allegations) to defeat one another. Their past feud is now part of history, and it is more than enough for Malaysia, which is taking on a debt crisis.

After his swearing-in as a member of parliament representing his Port Dickson constituency on Monday, Anwar reiterated that he fully honored his commitment to supporting Prime Minister Mahathir in ruling the country for two years. In return, Mahathir will fully engage Anwar in the daily activities of the government, including through Anwar’s wife, Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The international media — or more precisely the non-Malaysian press — may be pessimistic about the future relations between Mahathir and Anwar, while at the same time the Malaysian media has to readjust itself to a totally new landscape. For years they used to defend the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) by all means and criticize the opposition. Now they have to change their attitude toward Anwar and, to a certain extent, Mahathir. 

Sweeping reforms occurred in neighboring Indonesia more than 20 years ago. Angered by massive corruption and abuses of power allegedly practiced by long-time ruler Soeharto, his family and cronies, the people forced the self-promoted Army five-star general to end his dictatorship in May 1998.

On May 9 of this year, reform-demanding Malaysian voters granted an overwhelming victory to the opposition coalition. They severely punished the ruling UMNO and its Barisan National coalition.

It is very likely that Mahathir will transfer power to Anwar in less than two years. For Anwar, laying a strong foundation for a sustainable democracy in predominantly Muslim Malaysia will be much more challenging than just becoming a national leader.

To realize their visions, the two brave-hearted statesmen deserve support from their people.

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