Brazil’s Lula calls PM Anwar a fighter for justice

KUALA LUMPUR: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Saturday praised Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as a leader committed to justice and the welfare of his people, drawing parallels between their personal struggles.

“When I met my friend, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, I knew I was meeting a true companion - someone who, like me, had once been persecuted and imprisoned,” Lula told a joint news conference with Anwar at Seri Perdana.

“He is a man determined to fight for justice and to end the suffering of his people,” he said.

Lula said his visit to Malaysia aimed to strengthen bilateral ties and promote shared values of peace, humanity and social equity.

“I did not come here only for trade relations. I came because I believe human values must prevail over evil. We need peace, not war. We need free trade, not protectionism. We want more food and an end to hunger,” he said.

The Brazilian president said a leader’s foremost duty was to care for the poor and marginalised.

“I was born in a town where children died of hunger before the age of five. I tasted bread for the first time only as an adult. That experience made me determined to fight for people who have been forgotten,” he said.

Lula also praised Malaysia’s rapid development and regional leadership, calling it an example of successful progress.

Earlier, both leaders witnessed the signing of five memorandums of understanding, including three related to the semiconductor industry, one on science, technology and innovation, and another on cooperation between think tanks.

The agreements included an exchange of diplomatic notes between Malaysia’s Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) and Brazil’s Rio Branco Institute (Instituto Rio Branco), as well as a Letter of Intent between the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA).