KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his former ally Datuk Seri Azmin Ali briefly reunited at Masjid Negara to pay their final respects to former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi earlier today.
Azmin, who is Bersatu secretary-general, shared this meeting on his Facebook page, mentioning that he took the chance to greet Anwar and expressed his hope that their encounter would bring blessings to everyone involved.
In his post, Azmin wrote: “Before Zuhur prayer, I greeted YAB Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. It’s been a long time since we last met. We were brought together today at Masjid Negara during the month of Syawal. May Allah SWT bless us all.”
Azmin, who is also Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman and Selangor opposition leader, was the deputy president of PKR in 2018 when Anwar was the party president.
In 2020, Azmin and other members left PKR during the Sheraton Move and joined Bersatu.
At the same time, Anwar was also seen shaking hands with Bersatu president and former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
A video of Anwar greeting and shaking hands with Muhyiddin and Azmin at the mosque has gained popularity on social media where the prime minister is seen placing his hand on Muhyiddin’s shoulder and whispering to him before greeting Azmin, who stood next to Muhyiddin.
Public reactions have been mostly positive, with many appreciating the leaders for setting aside their differences to honour the late prime minister.
Other notable Bersatu leaders present at Masjid Negara earlier today included Datuk Radzi Jidin, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, and several Selangor state assembly members.
Meanwhile, Tun Abdullah, who was 85, passed away at the National Heart Institute at 7.10pm yesterday and was buried at Makam Pahlawan at Masjid Negara around 2.30pm.
Born on November 26, 1939, in Bayan Lepas, Abdullah served as Kepala Batas MP from 1978 to 2008 and was prime minister from October 31, 2003, to April 3, 2009, after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s resignation. – April 15, 2025