Press Conference In Aircraft Galley With PM Anwar

From M. Saraswathi

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 21 (Bernama) — It was an unusual setting for a press conference, but so was the pace of his three-country tour across Africa.

About two hours after taking off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the media that was part of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's entourage was informed that the Prime Minister could spare time for a short press conference. 

With a tight schedule that left little room for extended media briefings on the ground during his official visit to Ethiopia, the media was all geared up to take up the opportunity.

The galley, the compact kitchen area on an aircraft used to prepare and serve food and beverages, was swiftly transformed into a press conference venue at 40,000 feet by the cabin crew.

Amid the hum of engines and the soft clatter of cameras, a 15-minute press conference unfolded, with Anwar fielding questions on pressing issues back home.

“I had the opportunity to meet and answer several questions from the media delegation accompanying this visit,” he said on his social media.

“This brief meeting provided a space to share our direction, clarify several key policies and emphasise Malaysia’s commitment to diplomacy that is transparent, mature and people-centred,” he said.

The setting, though unconventional, added a sense of immediacy and intimacy to the exchange.

The aircraft cabin felt unusually charged as the issues were heavy and serious, but the Prime Minister tackled the questions with ease, making the press conference more open and comfortable.

The Prime Minister is undertaking a four-day working visit from Nov 20 to 23 to South Africa to attend the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg as a guest of G20 President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa.

Anwar and the delegation will then travel to Nairobi, Kenya, on Nov 23 for an official visit, which will be the last stop before they head home.

The five-hour journey from Ethiopia to South Africa was an experience to behold for the journalists, photographers and camera crew.

Reporting from on board the chartered Malaysia Airlines MH8501 was BERNAMA’s Business Desk executive editor Saraswathi Muniappan and photographer Zulaikha Zainuzman.

— BERNAMA