Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the latest to share his views on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s trip to Saudi Arabia, where he did not meet with King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud or Crown Prince Mohammed Salman Al Saud.
Mahathir, who was prime minister twice from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020, recalled his official trips and noted how he was given the red carpet treatment.
“This was an official visit. When I was prime minister, I made numerous visits to other countries.
“There was not a single nation which did not welcome me. I was always welcomed by the head of state (ketua negara),” he told a press conference in Putrajaya today.
Mahathir said he could not fathom the reasons for Anwar not being welcomed by the top leadership of Saudi Arabia.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand why the king and crown prince did not want to meet with Anwar.
“Perhaps, they have a perception (pandangan), which we don’t know about, leading them not wanting to meet with Anwar when he went there. The person who met Anwar was a low-ranking officer,” he added.
Anwar, accompanied by his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as well as Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, was on a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia from March 22-24.
On arrival, the prime minister was received by Jeddah Governor Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi Al Saud at an official welcoming ceremony involving a static parade.
According to Wisma Putra, the trip was at the invitation of the crown prince and the prime minister was scheduled to have an audience with both the king and crown prince.
It was later claimed that the Saudi government had requested Anwar to extend his trip but the prime minister was forced to decline because of his tight schedule.
Perikatan Nasional lawmaker Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has submitted an emergency motion to discuss the impact of the prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
Prior to this, the Department of Community Communications defended Anwar against critics, saying although the prime minister did not meet the king or crown prince, he recorded success in other aspects, including the economy. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.