KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 — The new year is finally here, with the past 12 months filled with uncertainty over both the country’s political and economic stability.

Just as Malaysians thought they could take a break from fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, not long after the country entered into a transitional period, it had to jump right into embracing an early general election while anticipating major floods by the end of the year.

No one could escape talks of politics, and that was reflected very much through Malay Mail’s top-read stories and live updates, especially throughout the 15th general election period that recently concluded with an unexpected formation of a national unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

In such an election year, it was no surprise that the ultimate most-read article in 2022 was Malay Mail’s rolling coverage of the 15th general election on November 19 which saw a hung Parliament even after all results came in.

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However beyond that, here is a snapshot of Malay Mail’s 10 most-read stories of 2022:

1. Anwar administration terminates all GLC political appointments with immediate effect

Being one of Malay Mail’s most-read stories, this shows how much attention the public has on government-linked companies’ political appointments.

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On December 15, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s government sacked all chairmen and board members of government-linked companies, statutory bodies and state-investment fund appointed politically with immediate effect.

The move is ostensibly a follow-through of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) election campaign promise to dismantle political patronage.

Directorships and chairmanships were often used to buy and reward loyalty, a culture long nurtured under Barisan Nasional rule.

PH had tried to put an end to the practice when it won federal power in the 14th general election but the initiative was reversed under Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when he became prime minister in 2020.

2. Why did Anwar make Zahid DPM despite court case? Needs must, say analysts

On December 3, Anwar announced his Cabinet line-up. This story was an immediate reaction to the appointment of Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as deputy prime minister — despite the anti-Zahid and anti-Umno rhetoric played up during campaigning.

Political experts said the appointment was necessary to give the Anwar administration time to steady itself, according to political experts.

Prior to his announcement, civil society groups had urged the prime minister not to include politicians with ongoing criminal cases in his Cabinet, which included Ahmad Zahid who is on trial over 47 charges of abuse, corruption, and money laundering.

Experts view that this was a solution to the country’s political instability in the short run yes, as that would prevent Umno from defecting. (Anwar’s) priority now is for his government’s survival.

3. GPS finally declares support for Anwar’s coalition government

It was days before Anwar was sworn in as prime minister and he could only secure the position with the support of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), which was seen as the kingmaker holding all the cards.

On November 24, GPS chairman Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg announced that GPS had agreed to join Anwar’s coalition government.

The GPS chairman said this was in line with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s advice to the coalition during the audience he granted to the delegation led by GPS chief whip Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

Abang Johari said it was the prime minister’s prerogative to form the Cabinet, but with an eye on the Agong’s advice for unity.

4. Khairy urges Malaysians to mask up as country facing small Covid-19 wave

The fact that this story received many hits proved that Malaysians have not forgotten that Covid-19 still lurking and not absolutely eliminated.

On October 31, then-health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that Malaysia was experiencing a small wave of Covid-19 infections, after an increase in case numbers.

Given the current situation, Khairy said that mask usage is “highly recommended” even though it remains voluntary.

He said that between October 23 and 29, new infection cases increased by 16.5 per cent to 16,917 cases from the previous week’s 14,255 cases.

He also said that on October 31, the number of patients in hospitals also grew by 14.3 per cent, for every 100,000 people.

5. Is anyone still using MySejahtera? Here’s what govt data says

By May, the infection chain in the country showed an improvement which led the government to lift the mandatory use of MySejahtera.

High readership on the story showed that readers were interested in the status of Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

People pass by the QR code of the MySejahtera at a shop-lot  in Kuala Lumpur May 1, 2022. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
People pass by the QR code of the MySejahtera at a shop-lot in Kuala Lumpur May 1, 2022. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

The usage of MySejahtera nationwide plunged 73.8 per cent with immediate effect on May 1, the date the government lifted the mandatory use of the mobile app to check in their presence at premises.

The MySejahtera mandate is only one of several Covid-19 measures the federal government introduced and is now rolling back as the nation transitions towards endemicity.

While the mandatory QR code scanning through MySejahtera and vaccination status verification before entering premises have been discontinued, business owners are still required to screen patrons who are under Covid-19 quarantine.

6. Louis Vuitton loafers a gift from Johor Sultan two years ago, PM Anwar tells critics

Malaysians, apart from constantly talking about good food, they have a sharp eye for fashion details.

This was how Anwar’s Louis Vuitton loafers caught nationwide attention.

On November 30, the Prime Minister was called out for swapping his chappals for Louis Vuitton after less than a week in office.

He however clarified that the shoes he has been wearing were a gift from the Sultan of Johor.

Anwar took to Twitter, saying that the Louis Vuitton loafers he has been pictured wearing to high-powered meetings were a gift from Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar after social media users tried to pin him as a big spender.

7. After border reopens last weekend, no big influx of visitors from Singapore but JB business owners confident they will return

In April the Causeway finally reopened. This story gave a picture of positive business owners who were thankful for the border reopening.

Despite the low headcount from Singapore, business owners were optimistic that business will get better in the weeks to come.

8. Sources: BN to decide whether to join Perikatan or Pakatan

Fresh from the November 19 general election, Malaysians were still awaiting a new government formed.

On November 20, one day after the 15th general election, Malaysia still does not have a government with a hung Parliament the result of not a single political coalition having a commanding majority.

Although there was yet a decision made, this story was among others that created anticipation that Barisan Nasional (BN) despite being mauled badly at the polls was likely to be part of the newly form Unity Government.

Sources within Umno Supreme Council — the party had won 27 of the coalition’s 30 seats — confirmed there are ongoing talks with both PH and PN.

9. PAS accuses DAP of being a ‘parasite’; here’s what the data shows about its position in govt

Topics involving PAS and DAP never caught this much attention until last year and had generated even more interest post-GE15.

This story is an analytical piece of PAS and DAP’s position after the 15th general election, and if PAS’ allegations held weight.

This was among Malay Mail’s initiative as a partner of JomCheck, a fact-checking network of Malaysian media, academia, and the civil society. Malay Mail readers can submit requests for fact-checking by sending a claim to JomCheck’s tip line at +6017-477 6659 (WhatsApp text only, no calls).

10. From ‘interim PM’ to minority govt: Constitutional experts explain what’s next as Malaysia awaits hung Parliament

This general election set many first precedents: One of them being the wait for a new government to be formed, which lasted more than a week.

In this story, political experts explained what’s next for Malaysia when none of the political coalitions emerged with a majority enough to form a new government.

The rest, as they say, is history that surely marked 2022 as one of the most politically exciting in recent years.