Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has stressed that his frequent overseas trips are driven by work commitments, not leisure or “happy holidays.”
He said the travels were part of his duty as head of government, including attending official meetings and responding to invitations from world leaders.
“Some people criticise me for travelling too much… do they think I’m going for fun, on holiday? I travel because of work. As Prime Minister, I have to go when invited, because we have a voice, we are a free and independent nation… what is the point of independence if we are not brave enough to speak?” he said during the Johor state-level 27 Years of Reformasi rally today.
Citing an example, Anwar said he would be leaving for Doha, Qatar, on Monday to attend the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit at the invitation of Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, to discuss the ongoing Israeli attacks on Palestinians.
The Prime Minister also expressed hope that Malaysians would understand the government’s consistent stance on providing aid to countries facing disasters and humanitarian crises.
“I don’t understand when people say Anwar only helps Gaza… we are all human. One day, we too may need international aid. Pakistan faced floods, Myanmar an earthquake — even if we disagree with their politics, we still help because lives are lost and people are suffering.
“At the same time, our own people are struggling too, and we are helping them. The government has been giving more aid now to Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, and Terengganu compared to what was provided when they (the opposition) were in power,” he said.
Anwar also underlined the importance of Malaysians mastering the Malay language as the national language while acknowledging the value of multilingualism.
“All of us must be proficient in Malay because we live in Malaysia. But some of our children are not fluent in Malay, and that should not be the case. At the same time, English is important, as are other languages like Mandarin, Tamil, and Arabic. Imagine if a Chinese person is fluent in Malay and English, and can also speak other languages — how great would that be?
“That’s what PKR has been fighting for. We are the only political party that embraces all races in Malaysia as one family,” he added.
