'I'm surprised you trust my driving': Anwar takes Erdogan for a spin

Summary

• Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim test drives Turkiye’s electric car, Togg T10X, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as his passenger.

• Anwar says he hardly drives and is not accustomed to left-hand drive cars.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim shared a video of himself behind the wheel with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as his passenger.

Anwar was test-driving a white Togg T10X, Turkiye’s electric car, which Erdogan had presented to him as a symbol of their friendship following his two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur.

“I’m surprised you trust my driving,” Anwar quipped.

“Why?” Erdogan asked.

“Because I hardly drive… and we drive on the left-hand side,” Anwar replied with laughter.

Following this, a Turkish official in the backseat joked that perhaps it would be wise for them to alight from the vehicle.

Anwar revealed that his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, had also inquired if he needed to drive.

“Because she doesn’t trust me (driving)... But I drove (left-hand) when I was teaching at Georgetown (University) in Washington. But I rarely drove,” he added.

‘Very quiet’

Anwar was the professor of Islam in Southeast Asia at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he lectured on contemporary politics in Southeast Asia focusing on the role of Islam in shaping the region’s political evolution.

Erdogan had also quizzed Anwar on the quality of the vehicle’s sound insulation, saying: “My brother, you don’t hear anything right?”

The impressed prime minister agreed, “Yes. It is very quiet.” He also described the “front” interior of the vehicle as “fantastic”.

Anwar drove the sports utility vehicle to the Seri Perdana Complex, with Erdogan accompanying him, to attend the exchange of agreements, a joint press conference and a luncheon.

Togg, Turkiye’s first major national EV manufacturer, was established in 2018.

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