From friendship to formal agreements
The brotherhood narrative in Anwar Ibrahim’s discourse on Indonesia-Malaysia relations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21390604 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ali Maksum (0000-0001-7571-7709, Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta, corresponding author), Ali Muhammad (0000-0003-0677-9599, Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-24 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-09 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Round Table (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0035-8533 • E-ISSN: 1465-4008 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00358533.2026.2685760 |
| OpenAlex | W7167819130 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 47 |
For Anwar Ibrahim, Indonesia represents a formative political and intellectual reference point beyond Malaysia. Even during his political persecution under Mahathir Mohamad’s administration, Anwar Ibrahim portrayed Indonesians as loyal friends, particularly within the broader context of Southeast Asia’s democratic transitions. His appointment as Prime Minister in 2022 was warmly received in Indonesia, and he has continued to frame Jakarta as a central partner in addressing regional economic and geopolitical uncertainties. This study examines Anwar Ibrahim’s discourse before and after his appointment as premier, analysing how he constructs Indonesia-Malaysia relations within contemporary Southeast Asian diplomacy. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis, the findings demonstrate that Anwar rearticulates bilateral ties by shifting from a historically charged narrative shaped by colonial legacies, Commonwealth affiliations, memories of konfrontasi and Mahathir-era rivalries, towards a reframing that combines affective kinship with institutional cooperation. Through the strategic deployment of the kinship metaphor, shared historical memory and inclusive pronoun usage, his discourse facilitates the repositioning of Indonesia as a ‘special’ yet pragmatic partner. This discursive reconfiguration coincides with renewed institutional engagements in areas such as border demarcation, labour governance and infrastructure cooperation, signalling an adaptive Malaysian foreign policy identity within an evolving regional order
Cognitive reframing · Colonialism · Context (archaeology) · Corporate governance · Discourse analysis · Identity (music) · Kinship · Narrative · Politics · Transnationalism · Asian Studies and History · Military History and Strategy · Socioeconomic Development in Asia
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |