Malacañang on Friday congratulated Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, an old friend of the Philippines, following his victory over former premier Najib Razak, and is looking forward to strengthened ties with Malaysia.
“We wish to congratulate Mahathir Mohamad on his return as Prime Minister of Malaysia,” the Palace spokesperson Harry Roque said right after Mohamad took his oath of office.
“Prime Minister Mahathir is an old friend of the Philippines and his fresh mandate augurs well for the deep relations between the Philippines and Malaysia,” the President Spokesperson said.
Mohamad was sworn in as Malaysia’s seventh Prime Minister, after the former premier accepted the will of the people that handed Barisan Nasional (BN) a shock defeat which ended the Umno-led pact’s six decades in power.
Roque said that Malaysia was a long a trusted ally, and was a brother nation and dependable partner of the Philippines for having played a constructive role towards the attainment of peace and stability in Mindanao.”©”©
“We are thus confident that the strong partnership between our countries would continue to be enhanced in the years to come,” he said.
Mahathir previously held office for 22 years, from 1981 to 2003, making him the longest serving prime minister of Malaysia.
Mahathir was in Manila in October 2017 for the Association of South East Asian Nations Leaders’ forum.
The 92-year-old took the oath at the Southeast Asian nation’s royal palace at about 9 pm local time in a ceremony with Malaysia’s monarch Sultan Muhammad V.
Mahathir’s appointment marks a historic moment for the country, which for the first time, will be run by the Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition.
Earlier in the day, Mahathir had called for his immediate appointment following Pakatan Harapan’s victory at the May 9 polls.
Official results showed that Mahathir’s coalition won 113 seats, one more than the number required to rule.
But it has not been formally registered as an alliance.