"I'm Surprised You Trust My Driving. Azizah Doesn't" — Anwar Jokes While Driving Erdogan
Anwar was test-driving the Togg T10X, a Turkish-made fully electric C-segment SUV, gifted by Turkiye's President as a symbol of their friendship.
By Sadho Ram — 12 Feb 2025, 05:10 PM
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today, 12 February, posted a video of himself behind the wheel of a white Togg T10X, Turkiye's electric car, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as his passenger
Anwar was test-driving the Turkish-made fully electric C-segment SUV, which Erdogan gifted to Anwar as a symbol of their friendship following his two-day working visit to Kuala Lumpur.
While driving to the Seri Perdana Complex, Anwar joked that he was "surprised" Erdogan trusted his driving enough to get in the car with him.
When Erdogan asked, "Why?", Anwar replied with laughter:
Because I hardly drive… and we drive on the left-hand side.
This prompted laughter between the two leaders, with a Turkish official seated in the backseat joking that perhaps they should alight from the vehicle for everyone's safety.
According to Anwar, his wife, former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, doesn't have faith in his driving
"In fact, Azizah asked me, '[why do] you need to drive?'
"Because she doesn't trust [my driving]," he joked, adding that he drove during his tenure as a visiting professor at Georgetown University, Washington DC from August 2005 to December 2006.
Anwar served as the Professor of Islam in Southeast Asia at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, part of the Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. During his tenure, he lectured on contemporary Southeast Asian politics, with a particular focus on Islam's role in shaping the region's political landscape, according to Georgetown University's website.
Erdogan also asked Anwar on the quality of the car's sound insulation, remarking: "My brother, you don't hear anything right?"
To which, an impressed Anwar replied, "Yes, really. It is very quiet."
Anwar added that he loves the car's dashboard, calling it "fantastic".
Meanwhile, in the caption of the video, Anwar wrote that he would drive Azizah too.
