Anwar Ibrahim

Prime Minister of Malaysia - 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

Prime Minister of Malaysia - 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

Prime Minister of Malaysia; Chair of ASEAN - 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