PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed hope that credit 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, or 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 is not giving credit, thinking it was easy,” he said when speaking at the Johor Keadilan Convention, as reported by Bernama.
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, including in the president's official vehicle "The Beast".
"I indeed negotiated, but I do not sacrifice the interest of this country. I negotiated in the car, The Beast with Donald Trump, I am not apologetic," he said.
On the other hand, Anwar said he managed to tell Trump that he had met with Hamas leaders to emphasise the suffering of the Palestinian people, including children who died due to continuous attacks, as well as their confiscated land.
"I said all this to President Donald Trump. I did it because I came from the spirit of justice reform. We have many leaders who talk great things, but do they dare to face it?" he said.
The Prime Minister said he also conveyed a similar message to the previous US President, Joe Biden, including criticising what he described as the hypocrisy of the West and the continued oppression and occupation in Gaza.
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.
Meanwhile, he said Johor's good economic achievements were largely the result of the support and policies of the federal government.
"For example, the Forest City project that we revived, the Maharani port that was delayed for so long was assisted, and the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) was fully supported by the federal government," he said.
Anwar said he was also actively involved in ensuring that the JSSEZ agreement could be signed, including repeatedly discussing with the then Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, to reach an understanding for mutual interests.
"Whoever leads the government, I, as the Prime Minister and president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), will help Johor. We have come a long way. I am not denying the role of the Johor state government and their machinery, but this is a matter of policy and facts," he said.
He said the facts were not fabricated and could be checked through the records of the past three years. Johor recorded a total investment of RM110 billion last year, making it the highest record in the country's history. – April 5, 2026
