KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad met and had a brief chat with each other in Tokyo during the 27th Nikkei Future of Asia Forum.
According to Malaysia Gazette, both men were seen pleasantly interacting with each other during the forum’s formal dinner last night.
Ismail Sabri was seen shaking hands with Dr Mahathir as Human Resource Minister Datuk Ser M. Saravanan and Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim looked on.
Ismail Sabri said he took the brief opportunity to ask Dr Mahathir, who is 96, about his wellbeing.
“We both were invited to give speeches at the 27th Nikkei conference, which began yesterday.
“Tun Dr Mahathir is due to give his speech this morning. I gave mine yesterday morning,” he said in a Facebook post today.
The forum, which has been hosted by Nikkei Inc since 1995, gathers government and corporate leaders to share their vision of Asia’s future, said Ismail Sabri, who assumed the PM’s seat in August last year.
Dr Mahathir was prime minister from 1981 to 2002, and again from May 2018 to February 2020.
Ismail Sabri had arrived in Japan on May 23 for an official working visit while Dr Mahathir, who often attends the Nikkei Forum since its inception in 1995, had arrived in the country on May 24. – The Vibes, May 27, 2022
