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NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the plan for a bilateral meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay remains possible and could take place either in Putrajaya or Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
In an exclusive interview with Thanthi TV, he also dismissed speculation that Chennai had not reciprocated a proposed visit by Malaysia.
The Prime Minister, who is currently in India, was supposed to make a working visit to Chennai after attending the 18th BRICS Leaders Summit in New Delhi, before heading to Keralam, another state in South India.
However, the Chennai leg was dropped at the eleventh hour.
“It is not true (that Chennai did not reciprocate). From the beginning, the Chief Minister’s office said they were trying to adjust his schedule as he had prior commitments, while I only had a very small window between New Delhi, Keralam and the Maldives visit.”
“Even then, he tried to accommodate, and he had a major investment mission and other programmes planned. So, finally, I said to him, I will continue to Keralam and Maldives and that I can’t proceed with the Tamil Nadu visit,” said Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister.
He said the situation was simply a matter of both sides trying to align their schedules amid prior commitments, adding that the goodwill between them remained strong.
In the wide-ranging conversation, the Prime Minister praised Vijay’s early momentum and appeal among young voters, while urging him to take a long-term approach to power grounded in values, patience and practical wisdom.
Anwar, who was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Vijay, described him as a “new voice of reason, of principles and of good governance”.
“When I spoke to him (Vijay), I always told him that the challenge when you are here in power is to sustain the wisdom to navigate because, in the real world, the battles will be different from what you aim to do,” he said.
Anwar said he was also deeply touched by Vijay’s approach, particularly his zeal to pursue reforms, clean up the system and address poverty and corruption.
He said he had also told the Chief Minister that it would not be an easy mission, as sustaining good governance requires navigating complex pressures without losing sight of core principles.
Anwar also revealed that he had shared his book with the Tamil Nadu leader after a substantive conversation, noting Vijay’s openness to learning.
“He listens,” Anwar said, describing it as a promising trait at a time when quick applause often overshadows reflection.
In the interview, the Prime Minister also highlighted Tamil Nadu’s cultural influence, from the moral teachings of the Tirukkural to the power of cinema to educate, and said Vijay’s cultural influence could also have diplomatic potential.
For Malaysia, where most ethnic Indians are Tamils, he said Vijay’s popularity extends beyond his status as a celebrity and presents an opportunity to deepen people-to-people ties. – BERNAMA
