Anwar slams US commentator as ‘arrogant, ignorant’ for mocking Malaysia's economy
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim speaks to reporters during the Ministry of Finance's Hari Raya celebration in Putrajaya today. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Friday, 18 Apr 2025 5:40 PM MYT
PUTRAJAYA, April 18 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today slammed far-right US commentator Bill O’Reilly as “arrogant” and “caught in imperialist attitude” for mocking the economic capacity of Malaysia following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit.
Responding to the former Fox News host’s comments, Anwar said that O’Reilly had demonstrated a thinking process shaped by ignorance and an imperialist attitude.
“This (comment) is a reflection of an extreme and arrogant nature of some people who are actually ignorant and think that only their country is the mightiest,” he told reporters after attending an Aidilfitri celebration hosted by the Finance Ministry here.
“He absolutely has no knowledge of Asia, Asean and the recent developments.
”In social sciences, we call this trapped thinking led on by an imperialist attitude, which leads to attitudes such as xenophobia, Islamophobia and discrimination against other religions,” he added.
O’Reilly had reportedly derided Xi’s visit to Malaysia following US President Donald Trump’s tariff blitz, and belittled Malaysians as people who “have no money at all” to buy Chinese goods.
“The Malays aren’t going to buy your stuff, they don’t have any money!”, he said in a video that has widely circulated online.
Xi visited Malaysia this week for the first time in 12 years, as part of his Southeast Asia tour, to bolster economic cooperation with the region amid an escalating trade war between China and the US.
His three-day state visit involved the signing of 31 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) covering cooperation in various sectors, ranging from emerging techs and satellite navigation systems, between both countries.
Malaysia currently faces a 24 per cent tariff for all goods entering the United States, while China is subjected to a 245 per cent tariff.
While China has retaliated by imposing a 125 per cent tariff for US goods entering the country, Malaysia has ruled out doing so.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz and Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan are expected to meet US officials in Washington by end of April to deliberate on the matter.