The Straits Times (Singapore) reported that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim “raised the threshold to exempt businesses from the Inland Revenue Board’s e‑invoicing initiative to RM1 million (S$314,000) in annual revenue, up from RM500,000.”
While it is true that this decision followed Pakatan Harapan’s poor performance in the Sabah state election, the report overlooks Anwar and the Madani government’s willingness to adjust and refine new policies—especially when navigating uncharted waters.
For example, when the government introduced targeted diesel subsidies, the intention was never to burden Malaysians, particularly those in the B40 and M40 groups.
Over lunch with a friend from Segamat, I learned that the charity organisation Kasih Segamat, which he is involved in, would be affected by these targeted subsidies.
To be fair, once the matter was raised with Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Fuziah Salleh, she agreed to escalate it to the Minister of Finance II, Amir Hamzah bin Azizan.
If the Madani government had not been committed to recalibrating its policies, Fuziah would not have taken the initiative to follow up directly with Amir.
Political Spins
In the current political climate, there is always a spin—as if the Madani government only listens to the people because it is “afraid of losing votes” in the coming general election.
It is no surprise that even lawyers seeking self‑publicity attempt to arm‑twist the government. For instance, Anwar was told to “censure” the Inspector‑General of Police (IGP) for not meeting M. Indira Gandhi, whose daughter has been missing since 2009.
Then, when three suspected criminals were shot dead by the police, Anwar was told to convene a cabinet meeting to discuss the incident.
Both demands were seen as extreme, without due consideration that both the IGP and Prime Minister have demanding schedules. While the prerogative to intervene belongs to them, such arm‑twisting tactics by members of the legal profession can be seen as interference in the offices of the Prime Minister and the IGP.
Every attempt seems designed to place blame on one person—the Tenth Prime Minister of Malaysia. In the game of English chess, we know the strategy: checkmate the king, and you win the game.
In recent weeks, the castles and knights have come under attack. As key parties within Pakatan Harapan, both DAP and PKR have borne the brunt of these assaults. For now, it is clear that Amanah is not the target.
The adversaries understand that certain leaders in DAP may break ranks with Anwar if their own standing is threatened. What we are witnessing is an attempt to push DAP into repeating its past mistakes.
If history were to repeat itself, DAP could once again face heavy losses, as in the 1995 general election when it secured only nine seats, mostly from its strongest bastions.
Even in 2004, when Abdullah Badawi succeeded Mahathir Mohamad after 22 years in power, DAP managed only a slight increase to 10 seats. But the painful memory of Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh losing their constituencies remains vivid.
When DAP joined forces with Anwar to form Pakatan Rakyat, the coalition captured five states in 2008, with PAS under the spiritual guidance of Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat.
Sadly, Nik Aziz passed away in February 2015. Under Hadi Awang’s leadership, PAS took a different path, forcing DAP to withdraw from Pakatan Rakyat.
DAP leaders should have realised that distancing themselves from a coalition would only confine them to the Opposition. Eventually, common sense prevailed. After leaders such as Mat Sabu, Salahuddin Ayub, and Khalid Samad formed Amanah, DAP joined others to establish Pakatan Harapan.
It was the Anwar factor that propelled the coalition to a resounding victory in the 2018 general election. Anwar’s call for Reformasi, together with the support of non-partisan Malaysians, united the people to defeat Barisan Nasional.
This was an extraordinary feat—one that a Tony Pua and Rafizi Ramly combination could never have achieved.
Recalibration is Inevitable
It is self-deception to imagine that an entire government would simply bend its rules overnight.
Although recalibration is inevitable, there is a limit to everything—and both Anwar and the Madani government understand this.
Realists would agree that change is necessary if Malaysians truly aspire to become an advanced nation like Singapore. To expect the Minister of Transport to backpedal and allow overloaded lorries on Malaysian roads—at the expense of ordinary Malaysians—just to satisfy lobbyists is nothing more than a fantasy.
As for Anwar, if he sees that your point is valid, he is prepared to adjust the system—particularly since it is still new and requires fine-tuning.
He has already done so with subsidies for charitable organisations that operate vehicles to transport senior citizens, orphans, and others. These were initially overlooked because they were not private or commercial vehicles.
But once the threshold is reached, it is unlikely that he, or any government, would backtrack—especially on the matter of targeted subsidies.
We have already witnessed how much the country has saved through these subsidies. In fact, the price of petrol has already turun (gone down).
On the other hand, if Anwar were to be toppled by those currently pursued by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), all the efforts of the Madani government, the MACC, and ordinary citizens like you and me would simply go to waste.
Read this:
https://come-to-senses.blogspot.com/2025/12/educate-yourself-about-social.html
https://come-to-senses.blogspot.com/2025/12/mamak-and-baba-nyonya-food-and-identity.html
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