Thaksin’s Asean role raises more questions than answers - Pas
Fadhli had also suggested that the appointment could merely be a political gimmick aimed at projecting the image of a ‘changemaker’ that Anwar wanted to portray.
SHAH ALAM - Pas has expressed strong disapproval of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's appointment of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an advisor for Malaysia's Asean Chairmanship in 2025.
Party information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari stated that it is customary for national leaders to appoint individuals with expertise in diplomacy, international relations, or academia to such advisory positions.
He stated that, to date, neither Anwar nor the government had provided a clear justification regarding Thaksin’s specific role as a personal advisor.
“What could Thaksin achieve that Malaysian diplomats could not?
“If the objective was to strengthen the Asean Chairmanship in 2025, why not appoint local experts or individuals from within the Asean network? Wouldn’t that be more logical and reasonable?" he questioned.
Fadhli had also suggested that the appointment could merely be a political gimmick aimed at projecting the image of a ‘changemaker’ that Anwar wanted to portray.
“Perhaps he aspires to be seen as a global leader surrounded by prominent figures, even if those figures are tainted by scandals in their own countries,” he wrote on Facebook on Monday.
Earlier, Anwar had appointed Thaksin as part of an informal advisory group for Malaysia’s Asean Chairmanship in 2025.
The Prime Minister had stressed that Malaysia needed a statesman like Thaksin to share expertise and ideas with the Asean Chair on regional issues.
Fadhli had further argued that appointing a controversial former leader from Thailand as a personal advisor to Asean was unprecedented.
He emphasised that the move highlighted a significant flaw in Anwar’s leadership style, describing it as overly sycophantic and accommodating.
“This is similar to when he referred to Narendra Modi (Prime Minister of India) as ‘brother’ and expressed agreement with the existence of Israel.
"The appointment of Thaksin seems like yet another attempt to ingratiate himself with influential figures,” he said.
“However, as usual, it is the Rakyat who will bear witness to this political drama. The people will also question whether this reflects the agenda of public interest or Anwar’s personal ambitions.
“If the answer is difficult to provide, then perhaps we should prepare for more peculiar decisions like this in the future,” he added.
