“I’m Surprised You Trust My Driving” Short Clip Shows Anwar & Erdogan’s Enduring Friendship
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been long-time friends who have been there for each other.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was on a two-day working visit to Malaysia and gifted Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim a Turkish-made electric car, the Togg T10X, as a symbol of friendship.
To welcome Erdogan to Malaysia, Anwar drove him to the Seri Perdana Complex in the new electric car on 10 February.
During the ride, Anwar joked with Erdogan, saying he was surprised the latter trusted his driving. When Erdogan asked why, Anwar said, “Because I hardly drive… and we drive right-handed.”
This prompted one of the translators sitting behind jokingly saying they should get out of the car now. The whole interaction caused everyone in the car to chuckle and laugh.
Anwar shared that his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, also asked him why he needed to drive and said she didn’t trust him. He pointed out he drove himself when he taught in Georgetown, Washington.
Anwar previously served as a professor of Islam in Southeast Asia at the Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He lectured on contemporary politics in the region, focusing on Islam’s role in shaping its political evolution.
Anwar also praised the car’s quietness and design during the drive. He added that the car would be returned once he was no longer in office because he considered the car as a gift to the nation.
Once they reached the Seri Perdana Complex, both leaders attended the exchange of agreements, a joint press conference, and a luncheon.
During the duration of the visit, Erdogan was also conferred an honorary degree by Universiti Malaya.
A long friendship between Anwar and Erdogan
Anwar and Erdogan have been long-time friends. They first became close when they were young, influential actors of the global Islamic intelligentsia. Analysts believe this strong bond helped foster bilateral ties between Malaysia and Turkey.
Anwar respects Erdogan, once describing him as one of the few world leaders who dare to fight for justice.
In Anwar’s welcome speech, he expressed his deep gratitude to Erdogan, describing him as a true friend who stood by him in trying times.
Erdogan was one of the few world leaders who offered Anwar a helping hand when he claimed to be a subject of political persecution.
In 2008, Anwar, the opposition leader at the time, was allowed protection at the Turkish Embassy here. Anwar recalled this period in his speech, saying Erdogan’s help was a testament to their genuine friendship.
Your support during the most calamitous and difficult period was neither perfunctory or designed for political expediency. No. It was an expression of genuine fraternity, friendship, love and compassion. So, president Erdogan, I’ve never forgotten.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
He remembered the help extended by Erdogan and his family during those times, even calling Erdogan’s wife First Lady Emine Erdogan, his “sister.”
I would be remiss if I do not make a reference to my personal friendship with Erdogan and my dear sister Emine. It is a friendship built not on convenience but on steadfast solidarity.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
Talking about behaving like best friends, Erdogan has been imprisoned before like Anwar.
In 1998, Erdogan was sentenced to four months in prison for inciting racial hatred after publicly reading a nationalist poem by Ziya Gökalp that included the lines: “The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers.”
He returned to politics after serving jail time.
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