A screenshotted image that seems to depict Singaporean politicians making analytical statements about Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim’s political chances has been circulating on Facebook. According to the claim, the screenshot captures a digital article posted on Berita Mediacorp, which is an online news and information portal in the Malay language that covers both local and global affairs.
The headline in the screenshot reads, when translated, “two famous Singaporean political analysts say Anwar Ibrahim has lost the people’s support, the ruling party will lose badly in the 16th General Election.”
Malaysia’s next elections, which must be held before mid-February 2028, are currently a hot topic, with debate and discourse surrounding the future of current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who has been backed by some to remain in office after the elections. Comments range from agreement with the supposed analysts to indignation at Singaporeans commenting on Malaysian matters. However, several things immediately stood out to us as fishy.
For one, while the faces in the screenshot might be unknown to non-Singaporeans who might believe they are “famous political analysts,” we recognised them as local politicians, Syed Harun Alhabsyi and Hazlina Abdul Halim who are Members of Parliament under the People’s Action Party – representing Nee Soon and East Coast GRCs respectively. But, did these two politicians actually make predictions about Malaysia’s elections?
A search of Berita Mediacorp with the politicians’ names led us to an article published on 3 September with the same image and author. However, this article has an entirely different headline. Translated, it reads, “Cost of living, family and youth are the focus of first-term MPs Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi and Hazlina Halim for the 15th Parliamentary session.”
The article does not mention Anwar, nor Malaysia’s elections. And, a further search of Berita Mediacorp with keywords relating to Malaysian politics shows no article directly commentating on potential election outcomes or specifically about Anwar Ibrahim’s public support.
This is backed up by a statement from Berita Mediacorp to AFP Factcheck, which called the screenshot “fake news posing as content,” and pointed out that no such article has been posted as of 10 September 2025.
We therefore give this claim a rating of false. The screenshot has been edited to replace the original article’s headline with a politically charged alternative, using the image of local politicians to push a narrative of “Singaporeans” making predictions about Malaysia’s elections. The two local politicians have also been erroneously labeled as “famous political analysts.”
While this claim was easily debunked with some research, the use of local politicians and a local news platform highlights the importance of staying alert when it comes to political images and headlines that appear on our social media feeds. In a more politically charged or sensitive scenario, a simple headline swap could lead to serious outcomes and misunderstandings.
Given recent incidents involving local politicians from both Singapore and Malaysia causing some tension and discourse, it is all the more necessary to be vigilant against bad actors manipulating the facts to gain comments or stir up conflict through disinformation.
