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.