Anwar’s government has tilted to the right in recent years in a move to win the support of Malay voters, analysts say
6-MIN READ6-MINJoseph SipalanandIman Muttaqin YusofPublished: 8:00am, 2 May 2026When Malaysia’s government announced a ban on two books in mid-April, the move raised eyebrows, with some questioning the intent of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration and his reformist credentials.The home affairs ministry on April 16 declared that the books – one of which was a memoir of the grandmother to an ally of Anwar – were a danger to national security for containing communist elements and ideologies.
Just days later, Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he was in the process of revoking the ban on the two books and a separate prohibition against a translation of an academic study on Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, which was funded by the Selangor state government led by Anwar’s own People’s Justice Party (PKR).
“Honestly, [I’m] a bit surprised,” said Efan Hamza, a 26-year-old Anwar supporter.
“Anwar has always come across as someone open to different ideas. So banning a book feels slightly at odds with that reformist image. If you believe in ideas, why restrict them?”
The prime minister finds himself at an unenviable crossroads.
