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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright March 2023
MalaysiaNow, on March 25 carried a story entitled, "Anwar's Official Trip to Saudi Arabia marred by failure to meet crown prince".
The publication also commented that this is in contrast with the 2021 visit by Muhyiddin Yassin where he held talks with Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). At the same time, MBS himself was present at the airport to welcome Muhyiddin upon arrival. Muhyiddin reportedly saw the inside of the Kaabah a visit often reserved only for visiting heads of state.
It's obvious, no matter what reasons you may advance to explain why Anwar Ibrahim failed to meet MBS, the message is clear to me: Saudi Arabia has royally snubbed PMX.
"Troubling questions have surfaced regarding the reception accorded to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during his recent official visit to Saudi Arabia, after it emerged that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who does double duty as the kingdom's prime minister, did not allocate time to meet with him."
According to MalaysiaNow, "diplomats familiar with Saudi-Malaysian ties ... drew comparisons with the official visit in March 2021 by then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who held talks with Mohammed as well senior government leaders."
A common observation by seasoned diplomats say it is not an official visit if any head of state visiting Saudi Arabia did not get to meet MBS. Even Joe Bidin, the US President took great pains and ate humble pie just to have a meeting with MBS whom he held in contempt publicly over the death of an American jouralist of Saudi Arabian origin in Turkey a few years earlier.
However, Bloomberg did comment that "At 79, Biden is more than twice the age of 36-year-old Prince Mohammed (MBS). Yet the relationship between the two men could now prove crucial to Biden’s political fortunes, however awkward. And the trouble is that Biden has a weak hand to play."
Anwar at 75 is almost as old as Biden. For Anwar who is twice the age of MBS too, a meeting with the Crown Prince would be crucial to his political career even more so than that of Biden's.
Biden might have a weak hand but he does have some bargaining power about buying more oil from the kingdom. But PMX may have a lot less than Biden to impress the future king of Saudi Arabia. But then neither did PM8. However, the latter was accorded a grand welcome by MBS.
Is there a difference in the policy of the two PMs towards Saudi Arabia?
MalaysiaNow quoted Bernama as saying that the scheduled meeting between PMX and MBS did not take place as the Crown Prince had a change of plans ahead of the Ramadan month.
If you knew how diplomacy works, you would appreciate the attention to detail given by both sides of the organising teams from Malaysia and Saudi Arabia and the incredible pains they go through in planning the event just to make sure their heads of state would be able to meet on the appointed hour. To report that a scheduled meeting with MBS did not take place as the crown prince had a change of plans ahead of the Ramadan month is indeed a lame and unacceptable excuse.
"But the fact that Anwar went on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, and that too to fulfil an invitation by MBS, only to be told that MBS was not able to meet because he had changed his plans, is nothing less than a major embarrassment," said a diplomat quoted by MalaysiaNow.
Embarrassment is more than just sorrow for PMX who said he too was disappointed for not meeting MBS. Perhaps there were other reasons behind the cancellation unknown to us outside the Royal Palace of Saudi Arabia.
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