Malaysia’s First Lady Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali had emerged as a fan of Prime Minister Imran Khan during his recent visit to the country.
A video clip from the premier’s visit to Kuala Lumpur last month showed Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s wife turning to PM Imran and asking: “Prime minister, can I hold your hand?”
Now a video has emerged of the Malaysian first lady speaking at a cheque presentation ceremony by Global Doctors Malaysia and sharing how she held hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin and PM Imran.
Recalling the day she took the picture with PM Imran, Siti Hasmah said that they posed for photographs after a lunch. “Mahathir asked to arrange for a picture-taking session. You photographers were there. You know what happened. At that point, he was about to leave. So we took our positions. I asked him if I could take his hand. He said yes,” she recounted.
“So I took his hand. Why I did that is because he is another illustrious son who came to our humble home. So what is wrong with that? Why are you jealous?” she asked.
Regarding holding Putin’s hold, Siti Hasmah said, “My daughter-in-law saw the reports online and she teased me that she was ‘ashamed’ of me flirting with Putin.” She then spoke about the time Putin visited them many years ago in their home “which was the smallest, not like other palaces”.
“Putin was one of the lustrous leaders who came to our humble house during an official visit to Kuala Lumpur during the 10 years when we were sidelined and not invited to many functions. He came to our house on his way back to the airport,” she said.
The Malaysian first lady also told the audience that she once mistakenly held another man’s hand instead of her husband’s owing to her poor eyesight. She said, “I was so ashamed. I scolded my husband and told him ‘this is what happens when you are not beside me’.”
