Malaysian PM’s war on corruption hits snag as top political secretary quits
The senior aide allegedly demanded bribes in the form of home renovations, a massage chair and washing machines
But since he declared war on corruption in 2023, Anwar’s campaign has hit numerous snags, fuelling doubts over his ability to eradicate a scourge that has cost Malaysia billions of dollars.
Anwar’s senior political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, announced on Tuesday that he had resigned to “defend myself” against attacks linked to issues that could “harm the image of the government”.
Shamsul did not specify the nature of the attacks, but his resignation came just hours after claims surfaced that he had allegedly received more than 600,000 ringgit (US$144,600) in bribes from a businessman linked to a mining scandal in Sabah state.
On Wednesday, Anwar said he had accepted Shamsul’s resignation and stressed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) “is free” to conduct an immediate investigation without any external interference.