COMMENT | GLC leaders feeling the heat - and they're singing Anwar's tune

COMMENT | For too long, Petronas has loomed over Malaysia like a colossus - its monopoly strangling the economy, hoarding wealth, and breeding corruption.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim isn’t just trimming its fat; he’s carving it into pieces to ensure no single entity can hold the nation’s wealth hostage again.

As of March, his war on centralised power is clear: a smaller Petronas means a freer Malaysia - one unshackled from the Mahathir-era chokehold that turned oil riches into a crony slush fund.

“This isn’t about punishment,” Anwar told Bloomberg in January. “It’s about liberation - breaking the chains of dependence and greed.”

The case is ironclad. Petronas’ unchecked dominance - controlling 70 percent of Malaysia’s oil and gas revenue - left it ripe for abuse.

Under UMNO, it bankrolled everything from 1MDB’s black hole to Mahathir’s pet projects, while states like Sarawak and Sabah got crumbs. 

Anwar’s fix? Shatter the monopoly, spread the power, and kill the...