'Guru' Anwar answers Zahid's swipe with 'slayyy' from New Delhi

 

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has turned an apparent jibe by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on its head after arriving in New Delhi for the 18th Brics Leaders’ Summit.

In a Facebook post announcing his arrival in India, Anwar referred to himself as “guru” and signed off with “slayyy” - a day after Zahid repeatedly used the term “guru” in an apparent swipe at the prime minister during the Umno general assembly.

However, Anwar did not mention Zahid by name in his post, just as Zahid had not explicitly named Anwar in his speech.

“Alhamdulillah, guru has safely arrived in New Delhi, India, to carry the nation’s name onto the world stage at the 18th Brics Leaders’ Summit.

“Pray that this national diplomatic mission achieves its objectives. Hopefully, the students can learn from guru how Madani diplomacy is put into practice. Slayyy,” said the premier.

Anwar and the Malaysian delegation arrived at Palam Air Force Station at 6.30pm local time.

He is scheduled to attend the summit’s opening session today and deliver Malaysia’s national statement titled “Shaping the Future Towards Inclusive Global Growth”.

Hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the summit carries the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with discussions focusing on strengthening resilience and economic cooperation, as well as trade and investment reforms.

On the sidelines of the summit yesterday, Bernama reported Anwar also held a 20-minute bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During the meeting, Anwar proposed establishing a special mechanism between Putrajaya and Moscow to expedite the implementation of agreements reached between the two countries, according to a note provided to Malaysian media.

Putin (below) agreed to the proposal.

Russia’s import

The two leaders also discussed increasing Russia’s imports of Malaysian palm oil and expediting direct flights between both countries.

Anwar, who is also finance minister, reiterated Malaysia’s appreciation for Russia’s support for energy cooperation, with Petronas having engaged Russian oil giant Rosneft and other companies to explore further collaboration in the sector.

According to Bernama, Russian news agency TASS quoted Putin as describing the 12.9 percent increase in trade turnover between Russia and Malaysia last year as “a solid pace”.

Malaysia and Russia have maintained diplomatic relations since 1967, with cooperation spanning trade and investment, energy, education, tourism and defence.

Russia was Malaysia’s ninth-largest trading partner among European countries in 2025, with total trade valued at RM8.72 billion (US$2.04 billion).

Malaysia’s main exports to Russia included electrical and electronic products, machinery, equipment and parts, and processed food, while imports largely comprised petroleum products, minerals, chemicals and chemical-based products.

At the regional level, Asean-Russia trade totalled US$18.1 billion in 2024, while Russian foreign direct investment in Asean amounted to RM367.9 million (US$92.97 million).

‘Enough, guru’

Anwar’s choice of words came after Zahid borrowed the viral TikTok catchphrase “guru, hentikan, guru” (Guru, stop it, guru) during his policy speech at the 2026 Umno general assembly yesterday.

The deputy prime minister used the phrase while criticising changes to the government’s targeted Budi95 petrol subsidy programme, which he said created uncertainty and confusion among the public.

“Imagine a father earning RM5,000; surely he is struggling to meet his monthly commitments... how is he going to pay house rental, education fees for his children, medical costs, and on top of that, he also has to think about the Budi quota being reduced.

“But (when the government) is worried (of losing rakyat's support), they increase the amount again. Perhaps after this they are going to reduce it back. Then, when it comes to election time, they increase it again.

“Who is doing this? Guru,” Zahid (below) said, drawing laughter from delegates at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre.

Although Zahid did not name Anwar, his remarks were widely understood to refer to the prime minister, playing on their often-described teacher-student relationship, which gained attention after a leaked recording of a purported phone conversation between the two in 2021.

“Enough, enough, guru! Please listen to us, guru. Listen to the rakyat's voice, guru. Enough is enough.

“Insya Allah, we can do better than what the guru is doing,” Zahid added.

The Budi95 programme began on Sept 30 with a monthly quota of 300 litres of subsidised RON95 petrol for Malaysians with valid driving licences.

The quota was reduced to 200 litres in April but restored to 300 litres on Sept 1. - Mkini