Anwar consistent answering question on relationship with Dr M

SINGAPORE: The question on his relationship with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will always pop up at the international stage, possibly in the hope that he will tell “differently”.

After being released from prison in June this year, he has been here three times, speaking in front of the international audience, and he has had to answer the same “expected” question.

“Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a lot of people..the audience wonder about your relationship with Dr Mahathir Mohamad. How do you describe it.. currently.. candidly,” asked Haslinda Amin, Chief International Correspondent, Bloomberg Television.

The president of the People’s Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) was here yesterday speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum on the topic “Malaysia’s quest for democratic accountability.”

Anwar was here earlier on Sept 20, as the tenth distinguished speaker for the Ho Rih Hwa Leadership Lecture Series.

Five days before the Lecture Series, he was speaking at S Rajaratnam Endowment Dialogue, the main session for The Singapore Summit 2018.

The same question was posted to him as well and he was composed in fielding it with a consistent answer.

“You want the politically correct answer?” Anwar, the Prime Minister in-waiting will normally ask the host back before answering it at length.

“I used to be with him… I mean very close.. amazingly .. unprecedented.. very close relation with him. All the years in 80s and 90s. And then one of the nastiest battles in modern times in Malaysia (occurred).. so we had both that experience.

“But again we were able to resolve. We say look we have to work together to save the country. If that is the motive, I continued to have very good engagement with him,” recalled Anwar.

Revealing further, Anwar said he met Dr Mahathir for a long personal session and discussion on a weekly basis.

“I had made it very clear that he should be given the full latitude and space to do whatever he wants to do. I will just support. That understanding seems to be going on well.

“Frankly, to his credit too, we have been back to the old times when we do chat with each other. We used to bring back the fond memories of the past. We try to erase the nasty part,” he said.

The recently-elected Port Dickson MP had served as the Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998 and Finance Minister from 1991 to 1998 during Dr Mahathir’s first premiership and spent over eight of the last 20 years in detention. -