Malaysia is gripped by a wave of denial of allegations to topple Anwar's government

In the days leading up to the new year, Malaysian social media was not only flooded with posts about the new year celebrations but also political machinations, fueled by speculation that the government might fall soon.

Especially on TikTok, a platform usually used to spread political propaganda in Malaysia, content creators have written about the same phrase: Dubai steps.

Several political figures who are on vacation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) city are said to have met last December to discuss how they could topple the unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, according to the video.

On Dec 29, the rumors intensified when a government official confirmed on social media the existence of the "Dubai Move", claiming that it involved opposition leaders from Perikatan Nasional (PN) and other party leaders who were unhappy with the unity government. and PM Anwar's leadership style.

Deputy Director General of the government's Community Communications Department Ismail Yusop in a Facebook post said the meeting was held to assign tasks to officials who will identify government MPs who can be persuaded to defect.

It has since sparked denials, debates and backstabbing by politicians of various camps over whether the meeting in Dubai took place and, if not, who spread the allegations and why.

Although the debate over the Dubai Move is still considered an accusation, there have been similar moves before.

In 2020, the "Sheraton Step" brought down Mahathir Mohamad's administration from within. Part of the plan was reportedly first sketched at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya.

The move saw more than 30 MPs in the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition defect, bringing down the government after it had governed for just 22 months.

Although anti-party jumping laws have been enforced to curb similar undemocratic movements, they have not prevented entire party blocs from leaving the government coalition. It also does not prevent similar attempts.

In January 2023, news broke of a plan to overthrow UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and finally get rid of the unity government.

This arose after a blogger claimed that the two UMNO Vice Presidents were part of a group of leaders who met in London to plot the downfall of Mr Ahmad Zahid, causing it to be dubbed the "London Move".

Political observers told Mediacorp that the Dubai meeting - if it actually happened - was most likely triggered in response to Mr Anwar's latest crackdown on corruption cases and involving individuals who fear scrutiny.

They however think that such a move is unlikely to succeed unless the members of Parliament in the government bloc, especially from the 'kingmaker' Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), can be persuaded to defect en masse.

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