MalayMail/Bernama-Apr 5
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed the hope that credit should be given to the government’s efforts to strengthen diplomatic relations and voice a firm stance on issues involving Iran and the Gaza conflict instead of being disputed by certain parties. He said this was because the government’s firm stance, including its stance in protesting against Israeli and United States attacks on Iran, had helped strengthen the country’s diplomatic relations, thus 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 in not giving credit, thought it was easy,” he said when speaking at the Johor Keadilan Convention here today. The prime minister said he was disappointed when the Opposition seemed not to appreciate his efforts all this time, and at the same time often played up the issue of his meeting with US President Donald Trump. On the other hand, Anwar said he managed to tell Trump that he had met with Hamas leaders to emphasize the suffering of the Palestinian people, including children who died due to continuous attacks, as well as their confiscated land. He said the action thus reflected the policy and principles of reform held by the country to the point that Malaysia is now known as one of the countries that dares to voice a firm stance on global geopolitical issues.
