PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is living in a very different time compared to the one when he was the victim of conspiracies and jailed for years.
Now as PM, he has a movie on his name that has raked in RM1 mil on its first day of screening in cinemas according to the movie producers.
Some who watched the movie are said they are disgusted, while others are praising Anwar: The Untold Story.
However, the Indera Mahkota-Bersatu MP Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah chided Anwar, asking him whether he wanted to be a prime minister or a celebrity. But this is not the first time Malaysia has had a PM who also enjoys celebrity status.
Perhaps Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the fourth PM of Malaysia, was also a celebrity gathering crowds wherever he went.
People used to line up to shake hands with Dr Mahathir in the 1980s when he visited supermarkets, for example.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak was also seen as a popular PM during the height of his tenure until the 1MDB scandal bruised his status.
However, since Saifuddin is now in the Opposition, he is finding it hard to accept that Anwar has also risen to celebrity status after only five months in power.
“I don’t know if we are now led by a PM or a celebrity (because) I don’t see him carrying himself as a PM, but more like a celebrity. The way he dresses and tries to get people to follow his (dressing) ‘trend’, the way he gets his children to attend some programmes.
“You are PM, you don’t need to act,” said an irritated Saifuddin when met by the media after the Perikatan Nasional (PN) Aidilfitri celebration ceremony at Indera Mahkota, Kuantan last night (May 19).
But netizens are, as usual, pitiless to such comments coming from opposition MPs.
bila PM buat keje, korang bising PM ke sana sini pergi oversea. bila Cite ttg PM keluar, korang bising lg tanye nak jd PM ke Selebriti. kitaorg tahu yang korang ni ketakutan bila PM buat kerja dan korang jeles bila PM femes. tp korang tetap juga nak tunjuk bagral korang.
— MKAI7292 (@MKAI7292) May 20, 2023
“When the PM does work stupid, you make noise, the PM goes here and there and goes overseas. When stories about the PM are out, you guys are still noisy asking if you want to be a PM to a celebrity. We know that you are scared when the PM is doing work and you are angry when the PM is famous. but you still want to show your clout.”
Another Twitter user reminded Saifuddin how funny it was when he was the foreign affairs minister.
The user is probably referring to the snub of Saifuddin on a visit abroad when the protocol was apparently not followed for a ministerial visit.
User @PudinMdn wrote:
@saifuddinabd jadi menteri, hubungan dan lawatan luar huru-hara sebab tak kenal siapa menteri luar. Suatu yang LUCU beliau menyatakan @MuhyiddinYassin (PENYAKAU) seorang NASIONALIS & @abdulhadiawang yang DIHARAMKAN masuk MEKAH seorang AGAMAWAN. Natijah bila MENTERI jadi WALAUN.
— Mr Pudin (@PudinMdn) May 20, 2023
“Being a foreign affairs minister, visiting a foreign nation it was a mess because people did not know who the minister was. Funny thing you then said to @MuhyiddinYassin (the national robber) a nationalist and @abdulhadiawang a supposed ‘religious leader’ is banned from Mecca.
“This is what happens when ministers become followers of PAS.”
Moreover, user @_my5centsworth noted it is perhaps misplaced for the MP to say Anwar is a celebrity. The user said as a PM, the person will definitely have a chance to become a celebrity in Malaysia.
Jangan tanya perkara bodoh .. sbb semua sedia maklum, sebagai PM .. sesiapa pun akan terus jadi tumpuan umum (bermaksud selibriti) .. so janganlah dengki sgt. Kalau yg mengata itu sendiri menjadi PM satu hari nanti, tetap jadi sama.
— Zarif Menon (@_my5centsworth) May 20, 2023
“Don’t ask stupid things. As everyone knows, as a PM, you will continue to be in the public eye (celebrity), so don’t be so envious. If the person who said that becomes PM one day, it will still be the same.” — May 20, 2023
