“I hope Malaysia can also do its part in the matter as our government under the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Razak is very close to Donald Trump,” said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman at a press conference today, as Najib flies to Turkey to attend an extraordinary meeting convened by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to discuss Trump’s move.
“So I hope Najib, who will be present at the meeting in Turkey, can be included in the visit to see Trump, as they are close friends and he may be able to influence Trump,” he said.
Mahathir said the decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was not something surprising under the Trump administration.
“Now we have a very arrogant American president who does not care about the views of other countries.
“This is the action of a leader who does not care about the thoughts of others when it comes to international issues,” he added.
Meanwhile, PH said it would gather outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur this Friday to protest Washington’s decision.
PH president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the protest was the coalition’s way of expressing its disappointment with Trump’s “arrogant” move, adding that the Palestinian conflict should not viewed in religious terms.
“We urge Malaysians of all races and religions to attend the protest as it’s a matter of human rights more than a religious matter,” she said at the press conference.
Najib had previously said that he had managed to convince Trump during his recent meeting at the White House on the Rohingya issue in Myanmar.
Foreign Minister Anifah Aman had also alluded to Najib’s close ties with Trump, saying the Republican president would listen intently whenever Najib presented an issue.
“If Najib doesn’t impress Trump on national, regional and international issues, I don’t think Trump will give much attention to him,” he said last month.