Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s elite and the state-funded schools that shaped them

Beaming Anwar Ibrahim Last week, he watched with pride as his alma mater’s school band filled the air with music at a party celebrating the anniversary of a Malaysian energy company. The harmoniously played clarinets, saxophones and tuba were a nostalgic reminder of the Prime Minister’s past.

Malay College, founded in 1905 in the small town of Kuala Kangsar, is no ordinary institution. It was modeled on this taxpayer-funded boarding school for boys, but exclusively for Malays Britainthe elite Eton College. It was designed to prepare the sons of Malay aristocrats for future leadership roles. Anwar, who attended the college from 1960 to 1966, is the second prime minister to graduate from the college, following in the footsteps of independence hero Tun Abdul Razak.

In a rare public reflection on his time at the school in March 2023, Anwar shared that he learned discipline from “exceptional teachers.”

“Even though it was a Malay college, the teachers who sacrificed and contributed so much for us were Malay, Chinese and Indian teachers,” he said, highlighting the love and support they showed without prejudice.

Malay College in Kuala Kangsar. Photo: Facebook/Malay College Kuala Kangsar

The list of university graduates reads like a list of who the Malaysian elite is. Six of the 17 kings of Malaysia were educated there, as well as Omar Ali Saifuddien III Bruneifather of the current Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.