Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hoped that the government would be credited for its firm stance and efforts to strengthen diplomatic relations on issues involving Iran and the Gaza conflict.
He said this was because the government’s stance, including protesting against Israeli and United States attacks on Iran, had helped strengthen diplomatic relations, allowing Malaysian ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Do you think it was easy to persuade the Iranian president to let our ship pass through the Strait of Hormuz? I’m not saying the previous government was not friendly with Iran, but it’s not like what we have now. We can call repeatedly. We can propose in Parliament to oppose the Israeli and US attacks on Iran.
“See how many countries in the world have made statements as strong as Malaysia did on the Iran war. So give the government some credit. The opposition is not giving credit, (they) thought it was easy,” he said at the Johor PKR convention today.
Also present were PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil, PKR vice president R Ramanan, and Johor PKR state leadership council chairperson Zaliha Mustafa.
The prime minister said he was disappointed when the opposition seemed not to appreciate his efforts and played up his meeting with US President Donald Trump, including in Trump’s official vehicle “The Beast”.
“It’s true that I negotiated, but I do not sacrifice the interests of this country. I negotiated in the car, The Beast, with Trump, I am not apologetic,” he said.
On the other hand, Anwar said he managed to tell Trump that he had met with Hamas leaders to emphasise the suffering of the Palestinian people, including children who died due to continuous attacks, as well as their confiscated land.
“I said all this to Trump; I did it because I came (with) the spirit of justice (and) reform. We have many leaders who talk great things, but do they dare to face it?” he said.
The prime minister said he also conveyed a similar message to the previous US president, Joe Biden, including criticising what he described as the hypocrisy of the West and the continued oppression and occupation of Gaza.
He said the action thus reflected the policy and principles of Malaysia, to the point that the country is now known as one that dares to voice a firm stance on geopolitical issues.
Johor’s economic achievements
Meanwhile, he said Johor’s good economic achievements were largely the result of the support and policies of the federal government.
“For example, the Forest City project that we revived, the Maharani port that was delayed for so long was assisted, and the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) was fully supported by the federal government,” he said.
Anwar said he was also actively involved in ensuring that the JS-SEZ agreement could be signed, including repeatedly discussing with the then-prime minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, to reach an understanding for mutual interests.
“Whoever leads the government, I, as the prime minister and president of PKR, will help Johor. We have come a long way. I am not denying the role of the Johor state government and their machinery, but this is a matter of policy and facts,” he said.
He added that the facts of the matter could be checked in the records for the past three years.
Johor recorded a total investment of RM110 billion last year, making it the highest record in the country’s history.
- Bernama
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.