PETALING JAYA: The apparent social media sparring between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has continued, with Ahmad Zahid appearing to fire back at Anwar’s cryptic “guru” post from India.
In a Facebook post on Saturday (Sept 12) morning, Ahmad Zahid thanked followers for tuning in to his policy speech at the Umno general assembly on Friday, pointedly saying it did not matter whether they were following from “within the country or abroad”.
“God willing, I will deliver the closing address this afternoon.
"Continue to follow me, wherever you are,” he said.
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Ahmad Zahid’s post came just hours after Anwar, who is in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, described himself as a “guru” and referred to his followers as “students” in a social media post.
Using a playful Gen Z-style tone, Anwar said he hoped his “students” would learn how “Madani Diplomacy” was put into practice, ending his post with “Slayyy” and a nail-polish emoji.
The remark appeared to be a veiled response to Ahmad Zahid’s use of the word “guru” during his policy speech, in which the Umno president criticised the government’s handling of the Budi95 fuel subsidy programme.
Ahmad Zahid had taken issue with the reduction of the monthly subsidised petrol quota from 300 litres to 200 litres in April, before it was restored to 300 litres from Sept 1.
He said the changes had caused confusion among the public.
“Enough, enough, guru. Listen to our voices, guru.
"We can do better than what the guru has done,” Ahmad Zahid said.
The Umno president also appeared to embrace Gen Z terminology in his speech, urging younger party members to “slay” and “flex”.
The exchange comes amid renewed attention on the relationship between Anwar and Ahmad Zahid, after the latter last Sunday denied that ties between the two leaders had become increasingly strained.
His denial followed a Bloomberg report claiming tensions between the two had worsened, citing, among other things, shorter-than-usual Cabinet meetings.
The report also linked the alleged tensions to Ahmad Zahid’s decision for Barisan Nasional to contest against Pakatan Harapan in the coming Johor and Negri Sembilan state elections, as well as pressure from DAP for institutional reforms.
