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Politics of Reform and the Triumph of Pakatan Harapan 89

With the results of the 61st Muktamar, which e ectively disempowered
PAS’s moderate or progressive leaders, it seemed inevitable that another
new organisation would be formed under the aegis of this group, with the
prospect of eventually becoming an alternative Islamic party to PAS. is
nascent political development came about by way of the formation of Gerakan
Harapan Baru (New Hope Movement, GHB), led by former PAS deputy
president Mohamad Sabu. e new party would later be named Parti Amanah
Negara (Amanah, or National Trust Party). On 22 September 2015, the new
opposition coalition was launched and renamed ‘Pakatan Harapan’ with the
participation of PKR, the DAP and the new party, Amanah.
UMNO went into the throes of a major crisis as the 1Malaysia Development
Berhad (1MDB) scandal unravelled in 2015 and 2016. Najib Razak was under
the spotlight after revelations that a vast sum of money (at least RM2.6 billion)
had found its way into his private bank account in 2013, allegedly to fund that
11
year’s BN election campaign. is scrutiny led to unceasing intra-UMNO
friction. e 2015 crisis for UMNO revolved around the 1MDB scandal and
the debt of some RM42 billion the government-sponsored fund owed. In late
July 2015, Najib, in a reshu e of his cabinet, sacked his deputy, Muhyiddin
Yassin (also deputy president of UMNO), and others critical of his handling of
the 1MDB scandal. Kedah Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) Mukhriz Mahathir
was removed and UMNO vice president for Sabah, Sha e Apdal, also lost his
post. A host of reports and commentaries on the 1MDB scandal appeared,
particularly in the portal, Sarawak Report. e business media company e
Edge, which carried out investigations of its own into 1MDB, saw two of
its publications, e Edge Financial Daily and e Edge Weekly, slapped with
three-month suspensions in July. Malaysia’s attorney general, Gani Patail, who
had put together a task force to investigate possible malfeasance with respect to
1MDB, was summarily removed from o ce in July. Former judge Mohamed
Apandi replaced Gani and cleared Najib of any wrongdoing connected to the
1MDB scandal in January 2016.
e series of events brought about the launching of a ‘Citizens’ Declaration’
on 4 March 2016 calling for the removal of the incumbent prime minster,
Najib Razak. e declaration was initiated by Mahathir Mohamad, who headed
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM or Bersatu), registered in September
that year. e fact that Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir’s former deputy in UMNO
and government, endorsed the declaration from his jail cell made the event
even more bizarre. e coming together of opposition leaders and civil society
actors with their long-time nemesis gave a new llip to the politics of reform.
Mahathir, in initiating the move, made it clear during the Q & A session that
the primary goal of the Citizens’ Declaration was the removal of Najib and his

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