From Heir Apparent To History Lesson: The List Of Anwar’s Political Breakups

Anwar Ibrahim’s political journey is marked by allies who didn’t stay allies for long.

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Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, once seen as the heir apparent to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as PKR president, has become the latest close ally of the prime minister to part ways with him.

A closer look suggests that Rafizi is far from an isolated case. Over the years, several of Anwar’s key lieutenants have distanced themselves from his political struggle—both before and after his first stint in government.

Suffice to say, Anwar, much like his former mentor-turned-nemesis Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, appears to be cut from the same cloth.

That said, it is worth revisiting several of Anwar’s former close allies who later turned adversaries.

Datuk Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor

Datuk Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor was the first chief of Angkatan Muda Keadilan (PKR Youth) when the party was established in 1998, during Anwar’s imprisonment following his dismissal from government.

Over the years, Ezam cited multiple reasons for his departure from Anwar’s camp. However, one of the most commonly cited factors was Anwar’s decision to elevate Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali as his new key lieutenant. This reportedly prompted Ezam to leave the party before eventually joining Umno.

He subsequently moved across several political parties before joining PAS in 2024.

Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali

Azmin was once controversially labelled a “Trojan horse”, allegedly planted within Anwar’s camp by Dr Mahathir. Despite such claims, he remained a central figure in PKR for years, playing a stabilising role—particularly during Anwar’s second imprisonment between 2015 and 2018.

The former Selangor Menteri Besar eventually broke ranks with PKR during the Sheraton Move and was subsequently sacked.

It is understood that Azmin had grown disillusioned with what he perceived as Anwar’s reluctance to elevate him to a more prominent leadership role, ultimately leading him to back Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during the Pakatan Harapan administration.

Azmin is now the secretary-general of Bersatu and is widely seen as a potential successor to Muhyiddin.

Left: the late Sidek Baba Right: Ismail Mina

The ABIM Figures – Ismail Mina and Prof Datuk Dr Sidek Baba

Ismail Mina Ahmad, a co-founder of ABIM alongside Anwar, and educationist the late Prof Datuk Dr Sidek Baba, a former vice-president of the movement, were once among Anwar’s close ideological allies.

However, both Islamic intellectuals later withdrew their support, citing concerns over Anwar’s stance on pluralism among the reasons for their departure.

There are several other figures who have also distanced themselves from Anwar over the years. Among the more notable names are former PKR deputy president Dr Chandra Muzaffar, Anwar’s former lawyer and ex-PKR MP Datuk Zulkifli Nordin, as well as his former private secretary Annuar Shaari.

Say what you will, but when you’ve had a political career as long as Anwar, it is only natural to see allies come and go.

As the saying goes, in politics, there are no permanent enemies.

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