Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said his relationship with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi remains good, rejecting claims of a serious rift within the unity government formed in 2022 [1, 2, 3]. Anwar responded directly to former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s assertion that trust between the two leaders has deteriorated to its lowest since the unity government was created, calling Khairy’s view "personal" and contrasting his own peaceful approach with Khairy’s confrontational one. "That is his personal view. He always looks at things from the perspective of conflict. I look at things from the perspective of peace... and that is the difference," Anwar said [1, 2, 3].

Anwar thanked Zahid and Umno for playing a key role in establishing the unity government following the 15th general election in 2022, stating the cooperation remains intact despite some tensions at the state level [1, 3]. He acknowledged minor disagreements between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in certain states are normal, particularly after BN’s cooperation with Perikatan Nasional in the recent Negeri Sembilan state election which has contributed to increased tensions between the coalition partners [1, 2, 3]. When asked about the relationship, Anwar simply said it was "still good" [2].

Anwar also addressed internal tensions within his own party, PKR, which has seen departures including former Subang MP Wong Chen, who left on August 10 to join Bersama [4]. PKR faced electoral setbacks in Johor, Sabah, and Negeri Sembilan, fueling questions about party unity and performance [4]. He appealed to former PKR leaders to return and apologized to those who felt sidelined, urging them to come back "to the path of our struggle" [4].

Meanwhile, Nurul Izzah Anwar plans to resign as PKR deputy president for personal reasons but has been placed on indefinite temporary leave, with her duties reassigned to another vice-president [4].

Anwar delivered a policy speech at the 2026 PKR National Congress at the Melaka International Trade Centre on August 15, the latest development in efforts to solidify party cohesion and manage coalition relations [1, 2, 3, 4].