COMMENT | Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Anwar Ibrahim Madani government. His supporters will laud his achievements in securing political stability, economic growth, and foreign investment, while his critics will point to the lack of democratic reforms and embrace of conservative Islamisation.

These issues have been covered in-depth in assessments, including in my earlier columns and the recent Bersih report card on reforms.

This piece highlights four other aspects of the Madani government that have taken root in the last year.

Modest Madani electoral swing

Among the public, the prime minister’s support remains polarised across different communities in Malaysia. Despite the Madani government winning three of the four by-elections this year (all at the state level), and securing a change in electoral fortunes in Nenggiri, the gaps in public support persist, especially among Malay and younger voters.

If there has been any movement in voting over the last year, it has been to Umno rather than any of the other component parties in the government. Umno’s gains are also more modest than might be assumed as they have come at the expense of Bersatu rather than PAS, yet the party has gained from being in government as it did for a short period after the 2020 Sheraton Move.

For Pakatan Harapan, its second year in office has...