Acting Malaysian PM back in Mahathir's shadow

Acting Malaysian PM back in Mahathir's shadow

By Bill Tarrant

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysia's Acting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim resumes his role of heir apparent with the return home of his boss on Tuesday after two months leave abroad.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad took the unusual step of formally turning over the powers of the premiership and the presidency of his Malay party to Anwar before he left on May 20 on a trip that mixed holidays and official business.

He also installed a video-conferencing camera in Anwar's office so they could keep in close touch.

"I think the situation is under control, no problems," Mahathir told a news conference on Monday in Okayama, Japan, the last leg of his homeward bound journey.

"Although, I am not in Malaysia, I always get in touch with Anwar. He also contacted me and sometimes we talked through video conferencing," Mahathir said.

Anwar kept a high profile while his mentor was abroad. He stepped up an anti-corruption campaign, sacking a deputy minister and several politicians from Mahathir's United Malays National Organization. He also installed two state chief ministers, announced a minor cabinet shuffle and dominated the headlines with visits around the country.

"Many of the decisions, I have a feeling, were made earlier by Mahathir and Anwar was just carrying them out," said political commentator Rustam Sani.

"I feel Mahathir was there all through those two months." But with the top cat away, Anwar also found himself refereeing some intramural disputes in the government.

The head of the organizing committee for next year's Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur quit in a huff last month after criticism from two cabinet ministers. He un-resigned the following day after meeting Anwar.

Then the national police chief angrily denied allegations from National Unity and Social Development Minister Zaleha Ismail that police officers often tell women who report violent acts that domestic problems should be solved at home.

These and several other public spats prompted Anwar to ask ministers to refrain from going public with their disputes. The markets have not been very kind to Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister.

The stock market first hit the skids in April when the announcement of Mahathir's trip abroad caused investors worried about the prime minister's health to dump shares.

As it happened, Mahathir was the picture of health and vigor as he flitted about the globe visiting Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Turkey, Lebanon, Argentina and Japan.

But Thailand's financial crisis and political turmoil in Cambodia helped spark a renewed sell-off of Malaysian stocks this month. At the same time, currency speculators, attacked regional currencies including the ringgit, pushing it to a 38-month low against the dollar.

"I think he's done fairly well," said Bruce Gale, regional manager of the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy. "If you were to grade him like pass, fail or credit, I'd give him a credit."

Analysts say that Anwar still has to shake an image of being woolly-minded and indecisive.

They cite the confusion that reigned for more than a day over whether the Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Anwar in late March, had decided to "freeze ties" with Singapore during a row over remarks by Singapore's former prime minister that offended Kuala Lumpur. Mahathir, who was then on a visit to Tokyo, ruled that was not the case.

More recently, another government decision requiring all schools to teach a compulsory course in Islamic civilization revived fears that Anwar, who began his career as leader of an Islamic youth movement, was a fundamentalist in disguise.

After two weeks of hand-wringing debate and vocal criticism from Malaysia's Chinese community, the education minister announced the course would be on both Islamic and Asian civilizations.

"On both of these issues, he could have quickly cleared the air because he was in the best position to do that," Gale said, adding that Anwar's perceived vacillations remain a concern in the business community.