Top Ten Instragrammable Malaysian Politicians – As Fluid As They Are Photogenic
Backdoor, front gate, throwing shade or wearing shades like an endgame boss—Malaysian politics have always been as exciting as visiting a barber, where you’re likely to lose hair when you reflect on the situation.

Short of taking you on a diabetic, eight-hour-long, teh-tarik session of what happened in the political scene over the past few weeks (this blow-by-blow account was already covered by my colleague PJ), I thought it would be fun to look at Malaysian politicians—outgoing, incoming or never leaving the limelight—to see what they get up to on social media to, you know, look presentable and touch the minds and hearts of the rakyat.

Our very own MParader touching some fruits and sharing the experience with his 30,001* Facebook followers. Image source: Facebook

 

Politicians have to look good on social media right? If our very own MParader can post snapshots of his East Coast Park and Botanic Gardens walks, celebrating his septuagenarian privileges while enjoying the shade of our tall fruit trees (and the occasional spider), why not Malaysian politicians? So, in no particular order of importance, here are the top ten Malaysian politicians we feel are so outgoing, we wonder if they’re ever home at all.

*All social media channel follower figures are accurate at the time of writing. They may change.

#1 Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia (94 Years Old)

The man with the Berocca pick-me-up has seen more than his fair share of excitement and still looks game for another go at the bungee-jump. He’s always been active on all three social media platforms. Beyond photos and videos of himself looking lovey-dovey with his wife and at his desk looking lonely Keanu-style, sometimes his followers will get tongue-in-cheek posts like the ones below:

Twitter: 1.2M followers

Facebook: 3,903,586 followers

Instagram: 1.6M followers

Fruit/vege-touching seems to be every former Prime Minister’s go-to signature move to attaining Insta-worthiness. To really prove you were there? Just sign on it. Neil Gaiman did this with his books at airport bookstores. Not too sure about a Mahathir-signed vegetable though.
Image source: Instagram

 

When a 94-year-old drives his wife out on a date, you know he’s scored enough points to simply visit a fruit farm just for kicks.
Image source: Instagram

 

#2 Muhyiddin Yassin, current Prime Minister of Malaysia (72 Years Old)

Twitter: 572.4K followers

Facebook: 1,001,532 followers

Instagram: 1,365 followers

The new Prime Minister of Malaysia (at the time of writing), is most active on Facebook, rather than Instagram or Twitter (for now). He’s had his fair share of photos showing hand-shakes, podium poses, and about-to-enter-his-limousine shots. Nothing stand-out-ish from the usual, but since he’s the PM now, let’s see if he’ll be amping up his Insta-worthiness to the next level with some fruit-touching shots.

Huat ah! Bet he didn’t see it coming… Image credit: Facebook

 

Watch out for the Singaporeans … I mean, literally. Image source: Facebook

 

#3 Anwar Ibrahim, President of the People’s Justice Party (72 Years Old)

Twitter: 1.3M followers

Facebook: 1,845,330 followers

Instagram: 361K followers

Beyond the usual diplomatic hand-shaking and speech-giving photos, the long-suffering PM-in-waiting occasionally posts glimpses of his family life on social media. His photos always depict him on a sleepy-eyed smile-a-thon, and usually wearing a black suit or batik shirt. Meme-worthy? Definitely. Insta-worthy? Only if he swaps his batiks for funky T-shirts printed with anecdotal one-liners.

I’d say the same thing too, especially when my wife’s next to me. Image source: Facebook

 

But once in awhile … Ramly (or Pape) comes to the rescue. Image source: Instagram

 

#4 Azmin Ali, former Minister of Economic Affairs and former Chief Minister of Selangor (55 Years Old)

Twitter: 593.4K followers

Facebook: 464,818 followers

Instagram: 340K followers

Portrayed by the media as the one who instigated Pakatan Harapaners moving away from Mahathir’s and Anwar’s coalition, Azmin Ali has hit back at his critics, citing changing prime minister mid-term (Mahathir to Anwar before the next election) is a conspiracy in itself. Whatever it is, having bounced back from a recent sex scandal, Azmin’s now as experienced as Anwar in feeling what it’s like to be mud-slung from behind. Let’s hope he remains continuously active on social media and tells his side of the story.

Like Anwar, Azmin is also a fan of home-cooked food and emptying his bowl … Image source: Facebook

 

When visiting an old apartment block destined for a new paint job, an entourage is useful to capture details on the walls. Image source: Instagram

 

#5 Dr. Wan Azizah Ismail, former female Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia (67 Years Old)

Twitter: 594.1K followers

Facebook: 1,223,560 followers

Instagram: 559K followers

The former Deputy PM of Mahathir’s government and president of the Pakatan Harapan coalition has had quite a roller coaster month. I would think that with all of her portfolios and being Anwar’s wife, she would one day screw up and clash-post the same photos as her husband on his channels. But no, they seem to coordinate like pros—hers are usually more insightful, sprinkled with visuals of her vibrant tudung and baju kurung colours.

Saving the earth one glass straw at a time. Image source: Instagram

 

On her way to the Istana to meet the Agong. If everyone’s a Little Pony, she’s definitely Rainbow Dash. Image source: Instagram

 

#6 Lim Guan Eng, former Minister of Finance and former Chief Minister of Penang (59 Years Old)

Twitter: 557.3K followers

Facebook: 747,759 followers

Instagram: 137K followers

The three-term Member of Parliament and Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party seems to be very active when it comes to his social media presence. He also appears adept at Photoshop (or someone in his team is), what with precision cropping, shadow blends and sun-flares on several festive greeting posters, which usually feature him and his wife.

Hmm … these oranges sure live up to their namesakes. Image source: Twitter

 

Officiating a new McDonald’s drive-through with a walk-through. Image source: Instagram

 

#7 Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, current UMNO President and former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Defence (67 Years Old)

Twitter: 522.1K followers

Facebook: 1,711,452 followers

Instagram: 145K followers

Not only must it be tough warming up the hot seat once moulded by former Prime Minister and UMNO President Najib Razak, but the current UMNO President Zahid Hamidi manages to keep a tight clench on his position. Most of his social posts focus on office meetings, and the occasional events and poster announcements, but once in a blue moon, I get surprise easter eggs like these:

Make sure your lenses are focused on me yeah? Here, bigger smile. Bigger smile. Image source: Facebook

 

Nothing walkabout about this shot though… Image source: Instagram

 

#8 Najib Tun Razak, former Prime Minister of Malaysia & former UMNO President (66 Years Old)

Twitter: 4.1M followers

Facebook: 4,088,559 followers

Instagram: 797K followers

Love him or loathe him, you can never completely lose sight of him. Malaysia’s former Prime Minister, wife-listener, and 1MDB-scandal-denier is very much a lively commentator on his social media channels. His Twitter account includes subtle jibes at the opposition, free-but-at-your-own-risk financial market analysis, and the 1MDB case. He’s even got time to make memes like these (if admittedly, he’s the original poster):

Image source: Facebook

 

Here he is shown trying to make a comeback, metaphorically speaking. Image source: Instagram

 

Here’s Najib waiting to catch something to take his mind off the Netflix documentary coming out on March 11. Image source: Instagram

 

#9 Syed Saddiq, former Minister of Youth and Sports (27 Years Old)

Twitter: 911.3K followers

Facebook: 474,035 followers

Instagram: 1.8M followers

Being the youngest former cabinet minister in Malaysia, the millennial stroked controversy when he posted a social media post of himself half-lying in a bath-tub of ice-cold water. The post has since been removed. Despite bathtub-gate, he’s been active on social media with youth-related activities, and is himself an active sportsman. Once in awhile, you’ll get an emotional appeal for calm or video explainer from him, which probably works for his digitally connected followers.

Video posts like this help Syed emotionally connect with his followers, in-your-face style. Image source: Twitter

 

When a Malaysian politician says escape, try your best not to read too much into it. Image source: Instagram

 

#10 Khairy Jamaluddin, former Minister of Youth and Sports (44 Years Old)

Twitter: 2.4MK followers

Facebook: 1,280,435 followers

Instagram: 1M followers

An UMNO stalwart since 2008, Khairy is also the son-in-law of Malaysia’s fifth Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. As a current Member of Parliament, his posts on Facebook and Twitter are usually political and business-related in nature, but his Instagram feed is chock full of insights into his personal life, including that of his family, hobbies, and friends.

Khairy gains perspective by showing perspective in his Instagram holiday photo. Image source: Instagram

 

He slipper-coordinates with none other than retired badminton superstar Lee Chong Wei. Image source: Instagram

 

So there you have it. The top ten Instagram-worthy politicians in Malaysia to watch and track. With the current political situation in Malaysia as fluid as it is, this top ten list is prone to change anytime. Admittedly, we also tried scouring the Web for the official channels of Rosmah Mansor (Najib’s wife), but alas, we found only spoof accounts of her persona, her designer handbags, sunglasses, rings, necklaces, tiaras, watches, and Halloween costumes, so we gave up.

In Singapore’s context, most Members of Parliament have Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. Many use these platforms to deliver one or two key policy messages, usually intertwined with some pretty visuals featuring them in action. Several do offer glimpses into their personal lives without a political message, sometimes with touches of humour and personality.

Image source: Instagram

 

Image source: Instagram

 

Image source: Twitter


These days, it’s easy to sway public opinion with just a tweet, photo, or Insta-story, but it’s always more effective when a politician dresses down, puts on loafers and mingles with the rakyat. Maybe a snapshot of drinking teh tarik at the stall ain’t so bad after all. Sometimes, that’s all you need to boost your social media standing. Who knows? Might win the hearts and minds of the people and get away with some much-needed love, scot-free.

Who else should be in the top Instagrammable list? Let us know at community@ricemedia.co

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