In the first general election of its predecessor in 1999, the party won five seats in the Dewan Rakyat.[33] However, a resurgence by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) in 2004 reduced PKR to a single seat.[34][35] The 2008 election produced a substantial swing to the opposition; PKR increased its representation to 31 seats and formed the government in five states.[36][37] The 2008 results precipitated the resignation of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the lifting of Anwar Ibrahim's five-year political ban on 14 April 2008.[38]
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, of which PKR is a founding and principal member, defeated Barisan Nasional at the 2018 general election, ending BN’s uninterrupted 60-year rule since independence. However, defections from the Azmin-aligned faction within the party and the withdrawal of BERSATU triggered the collapse of the PH government after just 22 months, leading to the 2020–2022 political crisis.[39] The party returned to government after the 2022 general election, which resulted in Malaysia’s first hung parliament. A unity government arrangement between Pakatan Harapan, former rivals Barisan Nasional, and several Borneo-based parties enabled the formation of a federal government led by Anwar Ibrahim.[40]
The economy of Malaysia had been badly affected by the 1997 Asian financial crisis.[41] The Deputy Prime Minister at the time, Anwar Ibrahim, under his jurisdiction as Minister of Finance, had instituted a series of economic reforms and austerity measures in response. The austerity package included reducing government spending by 18%, cutting ministerial salaries, and deferring major projects despite it being a cornerstone of the Mahathir government's development strategy. The reforms were seen as challenging the administration's policies, and the situation was exacerbated when he tabled controversial amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act that sought to increase the powers of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA).[42] Then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad strongly disagreed with these measures, and towards the end of the 1990s, their relationship began to deteriorate, triggered by their conflicting views on governance. Eventually, Mahathir dismissed Anwar from his cabinet positions on 2 September 1998, despite Anwar being his protégé and having deep influence within the party and government. Mahathir then expelled him from UMNO the day after.[43]
Despite Anwar being detained, the Reformasi movement continued to develop, with "Justice for Anwar" remaining a potent rallying call. Before his arrest, Anwar had designated his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as the successor of the movement. Wan Azizah went on to develop an enormous following, attracting thousands to her speeches. For a time, these followers held massive weekend street demonstrations, mostly in Kuala Lumpur but also occasionally in Penang and other cities, demanding "keadilan" (justice) and Mahathir's resignation. During Anwar's police custody on September 1998, he was beaten by then Inspector-General of Police, Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor, causing a black eye; the imagery of the black eye was adopted as a rallying symbol of demanded justice by his followers and eventually became the party flag—jocularly known as the Bendera Mata Lebam ("Black Eye Flag")—designed by artist Syed Ahmad Syed Jamal.[45]
Building on the momentum of Reformasi, a political movement called the Social Justice Movement (Malay: Pergerakan Keadilan Sosial), also known as ADIL, was launched on 10 December 1998 and was led by Wan Azizah.[46][47] However, facing difficulties in registering ADIL as a political party, the Reformasi movement instead merged with the Muslim Community Union of Malaysia (Malay: Ikatan Masyarakat Islam Malaysia), a minor Islamic political party based in Terengganu, and relaunched it as the National Justice Party (Malay: Parti Keadilan Nasional), also known as PKN or KeADILan, on 4 April 1999. The registration was just in time for the new party to take part in the 1999 general election.[48] The launch of KeADILan put to rest months of speculation about whether Wan Azizah and Anwar would continute remaining in ADIL, join the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), or attempt an internal coup within UMNO. Although KeADILan was multiracial, its primary target was middle-class, middle-of-the-road Malays, particularly from UMNO. The party has been noted as having rough similarities with the now-defunct social democratic Parti Keadilan Masyarakat Malaysia (PEKEMAS).[49] The party was joined by the Democratic Action Party (DAP), the Malaysian People's Party (PRM), and PAS in a big tent alliance of liberals, socialists, and Islamists, known as Barisan Alternatif (BA) to take on the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in the 1999 general election.[50]
1999–2004: Early years
While parliament's term was set to end in June the next year, an early election was called in November under the pretext of avoiding "undesirable" behaviour during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in December. International media speculated that Mahathir wanted an early election to be held before some 650,000 new voters became eligible to participate.[51][52]
In the lead-up to the election, seven activists, including Keadilan leaders; Vice-President Tian Chua, Gobalakrishnan Nagapan, Youth leader Ezam Mohd Nor, Fairus Izuddin and Dr Badrul Amin Baharun; were arrested between 27 and 30 September and as a result prevented from contesting.[53] Further arrests were made on 10 April 2001 and those arrested were subsequently charged and incarcerated under the Internal Security Act.[54] They became known as the Reformasi 10.[55]
With parliament dissolving on 11 November, parties were only left with 9 days' time to campaign between candidate nominations on 20 November and voting day on 29 November. The short campaign period drew criticism from the opposition, and the party entered the campaign with many of its key leaders under arrest. It also had to contend with the distribution of pornographic videocassettes implicating Anwar in the villages, as well as a lack of access to written and audiovisual media; the government denied opposition parties access to state-run public broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia.[56][33]Thus, despite the party winning 11.67% of the total votes cast, it only managed to win five parliamentary seats. Notably, Wan Azizah managed to secure victory in Permatang Pauh; the seat formerly held by her husband, with a majority of 9,077 votes. The Barisan Alternatif as a whole gained 40.21% of the total votes cast with PAS winning 27 seats and DAP winning ten seats. The big opposition winner was PAS, which gained 20 seats as well as a majority in two state assemblies in Kelantan and Terangganu.
For the first time in Malaysia's history, UMNO, the dominant Malay-based party which had ruled the country for 40 years since independence, received less than half of the total vote of ethnic Malays. Despite losing 14 seats, two of which belonged to federal ministers, the BN coalition still secured a two-thirds majority of 148 seats.
The post election period saw negotiations between Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) on a possible merger.[57] Despite some opposition in both parties to the move,[58][59] a 13-point Memorandum of Understanding was eventually signed by the two parties on 5 July 2002.[60] On 3 August 2003, the new merged entity was officially launched and assumed its current name.[61] However, as PRM had yet to be de-registered by the authorities, dissident members took the opportunity to convene a national congress and revive the party under former youth leader Hassan Abdul Karim.
Anwar Ibrahim speaking in 2005
As the new amendments to the party constitution had yet to be approved by the Registrar of Societies, candidates from PRM contested the 2004 general election using the symbol of the old National Justice Party.[62] The party fared poorly in the elections and only managed to retain one parliamentary seat, Permatang Pauh, despite winning 9% of the popular vote. The poor showing was later attributed to malapportionment and gerrymandering in the delineation of constituencies, with one estimate suggesting that on average, a vote for the BN government was worth 28 times the vote of a Keadilan supporter.[63][unreliable source?]
On 2 September 2004, the Federal Court overturned Anwar's sodomy conviction. As he had already served the entirety of his sentence for his corruption conviction, he was set free.[64] This unexpected turn of events came timely for PKR which was facing flagging morale due to its dismal performance in the elections.
In December 2005, PKR organised its second national congress.[65] Among the motions passed was the New Economic Agenda[66] that envisioned a non-racial economic policy to replace the race-based New Economic Policy. PKR managed a breakthrough into Sarawak politics in May 2006, a state traditionally known as a BN stronghold. In that year's Sarawak state elections, Dominique Ng Kim Ho, a lawyer and activist, won in the Padungan constituency in Kuching, a majority Chinese locale. The party narrowly lost in Saribas, a Malay-Melanau constituency, by just 94 votes. Afterwards, PKR pursued an aggressive strategy of attracting personalities from within and outside politics. In July 2006, Khalid Ibrahim, a former CEO of Permodalan Nasional Berhad and Guthrie, was appointed as treasurer of the party.
2008–2013: Pakatan Rakyat and Anwar's first return to politics
In the 2008 elections, PKR contested alongside DAP and PAS in a new coalition called Pakatan Rakyat. The party won 31 seats in parliament, while DAP and PAS won 28 and 23 seats respectively. The 82 seats won by the coalition denied BN a two-thirds majority against a backdrop of rises in inflation, crime, and ethnic tension.[67]
Anwar's five-year ban from contesting elections, imposed on anyone sentenced to longer than a year in jail, ended on 14 April 2008.[68] A gathering held by supporters celebrating the end of the ban was dispersed by police.[69] Even despite the ban, Anwar had been widely seen as PKR's de facto leader throughout his imprisonment.[70]
Anwar returned to parliament on 28 August 2008 following a landslide victory in the 2008 Permatang Pauh by-election, triggered by Wan Azizah's resignation.[71][72] He was quoted as saying, "I'm glad to be back after a decade. The prime minister has lost the mandate of the country and the nation",[73][74] Despite the claim, Anwar would need at least 30 defections from government lawmakers to form a majority.[75][76]
In June 2010, Suara Keadilan's publication was suspended for publishing a report which claimed a government agency had gone bankrupt. The Home Ministry, which oversees Malaysia's newspapers, said it was not satisfied with the paper's explanation for the allegedly inaccurate report.[77]
In 2012, Anwar was acquitted of a separate sodomy charge from 2008. He was accused by Saiful Bukhari Azlan, his former aide, of sodomising him.[78]
In 2014, the party's strategy director, then Vice-President-cum-Secretary-General Rafizi Ramli, initiated the failed Kajang Move in a bid to topple the 14th Menteri Besar of Selangor, Khalid Ibrahim, and install Anwar as his replacement. The political manoeuvre resulted in a nine-month political crisis within the state of Selangor and the Pakatan Rakyat coalition that also involved the palace of Selangor.[79] The crisis concluded with the appointment of PKR's Deputy President, Azmin Ali, as the 15th Menteri Besar of Selangor. Most analysts regarded the Kajang Move as a failure.[80],
Concurrently, Anwar's acquittal in 2012 was overturned by the Court of Appeal, and he was sentenced to five years in prison. This prevented him from standing as a candidate in the 2014 Kajang by-election and potentially becoming Menteri Besar, although he remained a member of parliament pending the outcome of his appeal. In 2015, his conviction was upheld and he was sent to prison.[81][82]
When the party, as part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, formed the federal government after securing a majority in the 2018 general election, Anwar was granted a full pardon by the country's monarch, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Widely considered to be the prime minister-in-waiting,[83][84] Anwar returned to parliament once again through the 2018 Port Dickson by-election, dubbed the "PD Move".
Defections continued into 2021 with two MPs, Steven Choong (Tebrau) and Larry Sng (Julau), choosing to become independents before going on to form Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) and declare support for the ruling PN government.[101] The last MP to leave the party was PKR vice-president Xavier Jayakumar (Kuala Langat), who cited 'frustrations' by the events of the past year and subsequently became a PN-aligned independent.[102]
The party returned to power following the 2022 general election after the Pakatan Harapan coalition won a plurality of seats. A coalition government, colloquially known as the "unity government", was formed between Pakatan Harapan and its former adversaries, including Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, and several minor parties, with Anwar Ibrahim appointed as the tenth prime minister.
Ideology
A supporter of liberal democracy,[103] PKR's constitution has as one of their core principles,[104] the establishment of "a society that is just and a nation that is democratic, progressive and united". In practice, the party has primarily focused on promoting social justice,[105] economic justice,[106][107] eliminating political corruption[108] and human rights issues[109] within a non-ethnic framework.[110]
PKR currently leads the government of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan and served as junior partner in several states governed by Pakatan Harapan, GRS and Barisan Nasional
↑Welsh, Bridget (21 April 2024). "PKR marks its silver jubilee". Bridget Welsh. Retrieved 14 March 2026. While the party originally centred itself around the persona of Anwar and his legal struggles, PKR broadened into a party tied to reform and calls for better and more inclusive governance.
↑"PKR opens leadership centre to rekindle Reformasi fire among youth". The Star. 31 August 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2026. PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar has stressed that the party must not lose sight of its reformist roots despite being part of the ruling government... she reminded members that PKR was born from the spirit of the 1998 Reformasi movement and not from 'the comfort of cushioned seats'.
↑"PKR marks 26 years of commitment to reform and social justice". The Vibes. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2026. The party, also known as Keadilan, was founded nearly three decades ago on April 4, 1999, emerged from the reformasi movement, aiming to combat corruption and the abuse of power in Malaysia.
↑Netto, Terence (10 April 2022). "Does PKR have a political philosophy?". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 11 March 2026. The party was a disparate collection of forces which were surer about what they were against – corruption, cronyism, nepotism, and abuse of power – than about what philosophies animated them.
↑Lee, Byoung-Hoon; Ng, Sek-Hong; Lansbury, Russell D. (16 September 2019). Trade Unions and Labour Movements in the Asia-Pacific Region. Routledge Studies in the Growth Economies of Asia (1sted.). London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780429200021. ISBN9780367190491. The People's Justice Party (PKR), was formed through a merger of the National Justice Party (PKN) that initiated the 'reformasi' movement, and the Malaysian People's Party (PRM), a former socialist party. PKR is basically a social-liberal party committed to social justice, equality, equal rights,...
↑Dzulqarnain, Nadia Qistina (30 November 2021). "Will 'moderate Islamists' entering PKR impact political scene?". The Vibes. Retrieved 11 March 2026. As such, bringing in Maszlee may be part of a strategy to shore up the party with individuals regarded as "moderate" Islamists. Political observers who perceive the Simpang Renggam MP and former education minister as a cosmopolitan politician with moderate Islamic views are not surprised by his decision.
↑Achariam, Noel (3 August 2022). "PKR must redouble efforts to win back disillusioned supporters, says Rafizi". The Malaysian Insight. Retrieved 13 February 2026. Our focus is to rebuild the support and movement to convince the people that we are a centrist party. Especially the middle-class and multiracial voters where their political views are undecided. – Rafizi Ramli, Deputy President of PKR
↑Hofmann, Norbert von (January 2009). Social Democratic Parties in Southeast Asia(PDF) (Report). Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Retrieved 20 November 2025. Comparative studies locate PKR within the centre-left spectrum due to its social-democratic policy priorities and reformist agenda.
↑Kamalanathan, Richard (9 June 2008). "PKR economic policies need review". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 14 March 2026. Anwar Ibrahim had recently intimated that PKR's economic policy would reflect the ideology of a centre-left government.
↑Jaeh, Mohd Azizi; Ismail, Muhamad Takiyuddin (April 2020). "Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) dan Intelektual Liberal: Kelahiran dan Evolusi Idea"[Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Liberal Intellectuals: Birth and Evolution of Ideas](PDF). Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics & Strategy. 90 (1). Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia: 165–179. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
↑"2,000 ahli PKR Pasir Puteh keluar parti"[2,000 PKR Pasir Puteh members left the party]. Harian Metro (in Malay). 29 February 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
↑Segawa, Noriyuki (29 May 2013). "Ethnic Politics in Malaysia: Prospects for National Integration". Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. 19 (2). Taylor & Francis Online: 210–232. doi:10.1080/13537113.2013.788918. S2CID144977212.
↑Mohamad, Maznah (28 November 2008). "Malaysia — democracy and the end of ethnic politics?". Australian Journal of International Affairs. 62 (4). Taylor & Francis Online: 441–459. doi:10.1080/10357710802480691. S2CID154845768.
↑Wai Weng, Hew (30 April 2018). "Voting for Islamisms beyond the ballot box". New Mandala. Retrieved 20 November 2025. Some PKR leaders are influenced by political Islam and ABIM, promoting Islamic values and maqasid syariah within the party while maintaining pluralist policies.
↑As part of Kajang Move, PKR sacked its own Menteri Besar for not cooperating with the party's move, rendering PKR and DAP not supporting the sitting Menteri Besar.
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