At 25, Malaysia’s PKR seems on the up but is Anwar Ibrahim’s star power holding it back?

But as PKR marks the 25th anniversary of its formation this year – and Anwar turns 77 – the question of who will succeed him as leader of the 1-million-strong party remains unanswered.

Analysts say the party is at a crucial juncture in charting the future direction of Reformasi, the reform movement started by Anwar months before PKR was founded.

In 1999, Anwar spoke about the need to reform a nation in which corruption had stalled its economic progress. Many Malaysians find it hard to envision PKR’s future without Anwar at the helm, with reform hopes still pinned to his name.

“I think PKR cannot fully detach itself from Anwar until the party finds a truly formidable and charismatic replacement,” said Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri, head of the political science department at the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

To the PKR’s staunchest supporters, the party’s commitment to reforms is intact.

“We have not given up on our idealism,” said Sim Tze Tzin, a senior MP from the party.

On Sunday, PKR will mark its 25th anniversary at a convention in Kuala Lumpur, where its leaders are expected to present their vision for the future. It was founded on April 4, 1999 and was originally called Parti Keadilan Nasional, or the National Justice Party.

PKR had a clear mission at that time: free Anwar and lead the fight against the widely perceived endemic corruption and crony capitalism under the Barisan Nasional coalition government led by Mahathir.

While in jail, Anwar burnished his image as a man obsessed with cleaning up Malaysian politics and serving the people, rather than the country’s tycoons and their political allies.

Anwar’s Reformasi movement grew into a potent force that spurred a political awakening among Malaysia’s ethnic