Government, opposition chiefs laud his in-depth knowledge of the country and its history
By
Teo Cheng Wee, Regional Correspondent
Mr Lee shared his experience through anecdotes, and his energy left Datuk Seri Ong hoping that MCA's leaders 'will be as fit as Mr Lee when we are his age'. -- ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIAN leaders have greeted Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew warmly during his visit of the country thus far, with many praising his in-depth knowledge of it.
Halfway through his eight-day tour, Mr Lee has met government leaders like Prime Minister Najib Razak and opposition chiefs such as Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) president Hadi Awang.
Meetings with old friend and key political players
KUALA LUMPUR - MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew yesterday met former Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Badawi and Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim.
On the last of his four-day visit to Kuala Lumpur, he also had private meetings with other key players on the Malaysian political scene.
MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has set the Malaysian media abuzz, especially in the Chinese press and blogosphere, since his arrival for his first visit to the country in four years.
Chinese papers such as the mass-selling Sin Chew Daily have given him substantial coverage daily, since he arrived on Monday to attend a dialogue and receive an award at the International Air Transport Association's annual general meeting here.
Datuk Seri Hadi told reporters on Thursday that Mr Lee's visit was a positive one. He said they met for an hour on Wednesday to discuss national unity issues and PAS' views on a multiracial society.
He said Mr Lee asked him about PAS' foreign policy, to which he replied: 'I told him straightforward, Islam practises an open concept. We prefer peace over war, and we want justice for all.'
Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president Ong Tee Keat, who met Mr Lee on his first day in Malaysia, called his 90-minute meeting with the Singapore elder statesman a learning experience.
Together with four other MCA leaders, they had discussed Malaysia's political situation, race relations and the competitiveness of the Chinese.
Mr Lee shared his experience through anecdotes, and his energy left Datuk Seri Ong hoping that MCA's leaders 'will be as fit as Mr Lee when we are his age'.
Another MCA leader, Youth chief Wee Ka Siong, described Mr Lee as 'serious, responsible and a good listener', and someone who was deeply knowledgeable about Malaysia's history.
'He has walked roads that we haven't walked, that we haven't even reached. But the roads we are walking now, he has already walked, he has already seen,' he told Sin Chew Daily.
In his four days in Malaysia, Mr Lee has met PM Najib, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and the Malaysian King, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, among others.
Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times
