PM slams 'perversion' of rule of law by its strongest advocates

Anwar Ibrahim today stressed that the rule of law must be upheld consistently at international levels, cautioning that selective application undermines its credibility.

The prime minister said this remains a fundamental principle ensuring laws are accessible and enforceable to all.

He said the rule of law in international relations must be applied consistently, as it cannot be used to protect one party from accountability while denying another its inherent right to self-defence.

“Its (rule of law) credibility depends on consistency… In the geopolitical arena, we witness the rule of law being displaced by the law of the jungle, where sophisticated ideals of justice give way to baser instincts and where might is right.

“There is deep irony here, an insidious form of hypocrisy, and I would go even further, a pathological perversion of values where some of the strongest advocates of the rules-based international order not only fail to observe it but manifest utter contempt for it,” he said.

Anwar was presenting his keynote address at the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (Clea) Conference 2026 opening ceremony at Universiti Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur.

The prime minister said the rule of law principle is not only central to the public’s daily lives but also vital in shaping relations among nations.

He was speaking amid the ongoing West Asia conflict that has caused a global energy crisis following the United States and Israel’s attack on Iran, which Tehran responded to with missile and drone attacks.

Also present at the event today were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, Chief Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, Clea patron Nallini Pathmanathan, UM pro-chancellor Zainun Ali, and UM vice chancellor Noor Azuan Abu Osman.

- Bernama

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