PM Anwar’s Visit A Heartwarming Trip Down Memory Lane For Old Friend

BUKIT MERTAJAM, March 20 (Bernama) -- A senior citizen from Kampung Pelet here was deeply moved by a visit from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to his home today, an encounter that rekindled the memories of a long-standing friendship.

Hashim Hamid, 78, said Anwar, an old acquaintance from their days in UMNO during the 1990s, remains a leader who is genuinely people-oriented and down-to-earth, despite holding the nation's highest office.

"He was always very energetic. One of my fondest memories is of Anwar and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, attending my eldest son's wedding back in 1995.

"Even though more than 30 years have passed, I never expected him to still remember me. I was truly touched when I was told he wanted to come to my house today," said the former Kampung Pelet UMNO branch chief when met by reporters.

Earlier, after performing Friday prayers at the Masjid Jamek As-Syakirin, Anwar spent about 15 minutes visiting two families, including Hashim’s, under the Permatang Pasir Community Visit Programme during his one-day working visit to Penang.

Despite his declining health due to a 15-year battle with diabetes, Hashim, a former territorial army member, remains sharp-minded and expressed immense joy at the reunion with the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, Raihani Bahari, 49, admitted she was stunned by the Prime Minister's visit to her father, Bahari Osman, 82, who is currently bedridden due to hypertension.

"My father was only discharged from the hospital on Tuesday and now relies on an oxygen tank. In truth, I went to the Permatang Pauh People's Service Centre at Yayasan Aman yesterday morning to apply for a wheelchair for him.

"I never imagined the Prime Minister himself would come to see my father today. I couldn't believe it at first. I thought it might be a scam, but it turned out to be real. It is truly a blessing for my father," she said.

The second of five siblings added that her father has suffered from the illness for the past 20 years and currently lives with her mother, Puteh Man, 75.

-- BERNAMA