Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay is a “new voice of reason”, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said. The PM praised Vijay's focus on principles, values and good governance but said sustaining those standards in power would be a challenge.
In an interview with Chennai-based Thanthi TV, Anwar was asked about his assessment of CM Vijay’s governance so far. “I see him as a new voice of reason, of principles, of values, of good governance,” Anwar Ibrahim said.
He, though, acknowledged that governing was not simple and that a leader had to deal with several competing pressures. “It's not as simple. There are a lot of forces that need to be disciplined or made to understand. But thus far, he's started well, but he should be able to sustain that well,” the Malaysian prime minister said.
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Anwar Ibrahim drew on his own experience in government to explain the challenges Vijay could face. He said that discussions around governance could quickly become entangled with issues such as security, race and religion.
{{/usCountry}}Anwar Ibrahim drew on his own experience in government to explain the challenges Vijay could face. He said that discussions around governance could quickly become entangled with issues such as security, race and religion.
{{/usCountry}}“I'm not saying that because, similarly, my limited experience now that we're in the government, it's not as simple as it seems because you talk about governance, they talk about the security of the race, or the impact on the Muslims,” he said.
He added that governments also have to navigate pressure from different communities and groups. “Then you have the Hindu pressure, but you have to deal with it because it is a more complex system than we can envisage,” Anwar said.
Anwar Ibrahim earlier congratulated Vijay after he became Tamil Nadu chief minister and called him as a friend.
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Malaysian PM's Tirukkural connection
Anwar Ibrahim also spoke about his long-standing familiarity with the Tamil classic Tirukkural. “I used the Tirukkural in my budget speech decades ago. I even asked for it to be translated into our Bahasa Malaysian language. It has a very strong moral message,” Anwar said.
Anwar-Vijay meeting remains on cards
Anwar Ibrahim said a proposed meeting with Vijay remains possible and could take place either in Putrajaya or Chennai. Anwar was expected to visit Chennai after attending the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, but the visit did not take place as the schedules of the two leaders could not be aligned.
The Malaysian prime minister said Vijay's office tried to adjust his schedule, but the Tamil Nadu chief minister had prior commitments while Anwar had a limited window between his visits to New Delhi, Kerala and the Maldives, The Edge Malaysia reported.
Malaysian PM met ‘good friend’ Rahul Gandhi
Ibrahim met Leader of Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over breakfast in New Delhi on Sunday on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit.
Congress shared pictures of Rahul and Priyanka with the Malaysian prime minister from the breakfast meeting.
Rahul Gandhi and Anwar Ibrahim discussed India-Malaysia ties as well as global and regional issues of importance, according to a PTI report. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present at the meeting.
Anwar Ibrahim later described Rahul Gandhi as his “good friend” and said the breakfast meeting gave them an opportunity to exchange views on the latest international and regional developments.
“Had the opportunity once again to meet my good friend, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Indian Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, this morning over breakfast,” the PM wrote on X.
Rahul Gandhi also shared pictures from the meeting. Malaysia is a BRICS partner country and Anwar was in New Delhi for the September 12-13 summit hosted by India.