Anwar Ibrahim

Rule Changes

Ordered procurement freeze and reforms

Malaysia's defence procurement system has produced scandal after scandal—the Scorpene submarines, the littoral combat ships, now a suspected cartel controlling army tenders. On January 17, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took a step no predecessor had: freezing all military and police procurement involving anyone under investigation, while ordering a comprehensive review of how the government buys weapons and equipment.

Updated Jan 18

Force in Play

Leading ASEAN mediation efforts as rotating chair

A Cambodian soldier died in a border firefight on May 28. Within two months, the countries were exchanging artillery fire and airstrikes across a dozen locations. Three ceasefires later—brokered by Malaysia, pressured by Trump, witnessed by ASEAN—over 100 people are dead and a million displaced. The latest truce, signed December 27, holds the same promise as the ones before it.

Updated Dec 28, 2025

Force in Play

Regional mediator and co‑sponsor of the 2025 ceasefire framework

In 2025, a long-simmering territorial dispute along the 817 km Thailand–Cambodia border reignited into the region’s most serious interstate conflict in years. A fatal clash on May 28 that killed a Cambodian soldier in a disputed area near Preah Vihear was followed by landmine incidents and escalating skirmishes, culminating in a five-day war in July that killed at least 48 people and displaced about 300,000 civilians before a ceasefire was brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim mediating under ASEAN’s umbrella.

Updated Dec 11, 2025