Robert Kuok to Dr M: You saved the country

PUTRAJAYA: Tycoon Robert Kuok has "saluted" Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for saving the country.

In a short video uploaded on Facebook by Kelab Chedet, Kuok was heard saying, "...I salute. You saved the country. Of course with Daim's help," in reference to  Tun Daim Zainuddin, his fellow member on the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP).

Dr Mahathir merely replied, "But I need your help now".

The 94 year-old billionaire also gave a salute to Dr Mahathir when they met in Perdana Putra, Putrajaya.

This is the first time the two have met since Pakatan Harapan toppled the Barisan Nasional government in GE14.

Kuok, who resides in Hong Kong, attended his first meeting with the CEP on Tuesday (May 23).

He was named as one of the five members in the CEP on May 12.

Photos of Kuok holding hands and hugging Daim have since gone viral on social media and made the cover of major local newspapers.

The CEP, headed by former finance minister Daim, also includes former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former Petronas CEO Tan Sri Hassan Marican and renowned economist Prof Jomo Kwame Sundaram.