Anwar's AI City Vision Draws Ridicule As Malaysians Question Government's Track Record

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When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced plans to transform Malaysia’s cities into AI-powered urban centres, he may have expected applause.

What he got instead was a flood of sarcasm, demands for resignation, and a joke about diesel prices.

Anwar made the announcement today (10 April) after chairing a special meeting on an AI City model for Malaysia, saying the country was at a “critical juncture” to shift from Smart City development toward a more strategic approach.

In a Facebook post, he said the move would cement Malaysia’s position as a globally competitive AI nation.

The response from Malaysians was swift and largely unkind.

“Bandar AI = Bandar Anwar Ibrahim,” wrote one commenter, in a jab repeated across the post.

Others were more direct — “letak jawatan,” resign, appeared so frequently that it read less like a political demand and more like a refrain.

The timing did not help as Malaysia is in the middle of a fuel price crisis, with diesel in Peninsular Malaysia at RM6.70 per litre — more than three times the subsidised rate in Sabah and Sarawak.

“Rakyat disuruh berjimat, dia sibuk nak buat Bandar AI,” wrote one user — the people are told to tighten their belts, and he’s busy building AI Cities.

Anwar also carries some credibility baggage into this announcement — not least a previous claim from his political camp of having a “formula” to fix the economy that has lingered in public memory, and tends to resurface whenever a big policy promise is made.

Several commenters came with receipts: Forest City, Bandar Malaysia, the HSR project, and East Coast Rail Link (CRL) cable theftwere all cited as evidence that Malaysia’s record on ambitious promises is, at best, patchy.

To be fair, Anwar has repeatedly explained the fuel prices situation, and many of the projects critics point to predate his premiership — he has only been Prime Minister since late 2022.

Not all comments were hostile — a handful praised the long-term vision — but these were notably outnumbered, and some were accused of being paid cybertroopers.

It is worth noting that social media comment sections are rarely a reliable gauge of public opinion, and coordinated trolling is not uncommon in Malaysia’s online political landscape.

Anwar’s AI City proposal may be strategically coherent — the Ministry of Digital has been assigned as lead coordinator, the National AI Office has a roadmap, and the infrastructure investment is real.

But none of that cut through on Friday.

What landed instead was the image of a prime minister outlining a vision for 2030, while many constituents are still working out how to manage rising fuel costs today.

Anwar framed the push as a critical juncture — arguing that Malaysia must move now to remain globally competitive — but in Malaysia’s current political climate, bridging the gap between that vision and public trust remains an ongoing challenge.

It is a sentiment Malaysians have long voiced: that before AI cities, the basics still need fixing — walkable streets, proper roads, reliable public transport, and affordable living among them.

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