Anwar Ibrahim Discusses Handling of Crisis until Meeting with Prabowo Subianto

JAKARTA - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim explained his government's efforts to deal with the crisis due to the war in the Middle East and his meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

He delivered the explanation at the Perak 2026 Madani Rakyat Program in Ipoh, Perak State, Malaysia, Saturday, responding to parties who according to him cursed the sincere efforts being made by the government.

"We are always angry, shouting, hating, not thinking that we have a problem, and the government is not doing anything," he said as quoted by Antara.

Since the beginning of the Israeli and US attacks on Iran, he said, Malaysia as a sovereign country has opposed the attacks.

"Malaysia is a free country, which upholds a free and sovereign country. It is not bound or subject to any foreign power. That is why I am moving a motion in parliament, asking members of parliament to state unequivocally that Malaysia rejects Israel and America's attacks on Iran," he explained.

When the war dragged on, he continued, the Malaysian government held meetings with representatives of the oil company Petronas and economists and communicated with a number of leaders of friendly countries to find a way out.

Anwar said he had communicated by phone with leaders of countries in the Middle East, including Iran and Turkey.

He also recounted his meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta some time ago.

"I have to fly for a few hours to speak with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto," he said.

"Because before he came to see me 4-5 times. I think it's not appropriate for me, if only he comes here, I don't even respond to his visit. So I went. Two and a half hours flight, 35 minutes to the Presidential Palace, sitting and talking for two hours, then back to Kuala Lumpur," he explained.

Anwar said that the impact of the war on ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz had increased costs in many countries, and his government was working on solutions to address the problem.

He questioned those who did not see the efforts being made by his government.

"I'm also confused. What part of our people don't read? They don't follow the world's developments. They don't know what's going on with neighboring countries," he said.

He said that in the ASEAN region, there are already countries that have started rationing oil, closing 400 public fuel filling stations, and must force workers around the city to walk to the office.

Anwar said that the Malaysian government is trying to overcome the impact of the war in the Middle East and help relieve the burden on the people.