IT appears that a photo posted by Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on his Facebook page is sparking rumours of a split in the ruling coalition.
The photo shows former UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Titiwangsa MP Datuk Seri Johari Ghani in a meeting with Anwar at the Finance Ministry (MOF).
Khairy was defeated by a PKR member in the last general elections and has since lost his membership in UMNO.
According to Khairy, he was thrown out of the party without discussion by the Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO leader Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.Yesterday (June 16), rumours circulated that Zahid was on a two-weeks leave. Anwar however denied those reports.Now some are questioning the absence of Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz at the MOF meeting. This is because they are the ministers dealing with economic matters, they should be present, according to some.Johari who is also the UMNO vice president and Khairy joined government officials and economists in an ‘economic’ discussion with Anwar. The meeting was aimed at gathering diverse views and exploring new growth areas and investment strategies.Among those who attended the meeting were former Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) chairman Dr Nungsari Ahmad Radhi, Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) representatives, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) development institute director Tan Sri Noor Azlan Ghazali, Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican and Economy Ministry secretary-general Datuk Nor Azmie Diron.
Some are speculating that this meeting might affect the relationship between the PM and Deputy PM.On top of that, there were rumours of a split recently in the PKR itself with some pro-Rafizi members attacking Anwar’s son in law Yin Shao Loong on Twitter. However, this has since disappeared from public attention.Indeed, the photo of Khairy with Anwar got social media users babbling:
It is unclear how Khairy’s appearance at such a high-profile meeting with Anwar will affect the latter’s relationship with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi😬
— TheAmethystium (@LMVB_88) June 16, 2023
Needless to say, Twitter users are praising the PM.
User @sembangggg stated:
PMX sangat berjiwa besar mengutip pandangan drpd pelbagai pihak. @Khairykj ni wlaupun dia ular tapi otak dia boleh pakai juga. Org mcm dia ni kalau ada dalam PN akan jd bodoh dan rugi sbb di sana tak ada yg cerdik dah 😂. Patut @ShahrilHamdan join meeting sekali. Huhu
— sembang! (@sembangggg) June 16, 2023
“The 10th PM is a brave soul as he is collecting opinions from different viewpoints. Regardless of Khairy being a snake, his ideas and opinions are still valid.“Furthermore, if someone like Khairy is in a party like Perikatan Nasional, it would be a waste as the leaders there are not as bright compared to others. Sharil Hamdan should also join these meetings.” – June 17, 2023
Main photo credit: Anwar Ibrahim’s Facebook
