AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes and Nazir Razak, the younger brother of former prime minister Najib Razak, were among those who attended the event organised by PPBM’s Klang division, which is headed by the party’s chief strategist Rais Hussin.
“I was invited, so I came,” said Nazir, the chairman of banking group CIMB.
Meanwhile, Tony said he was fulfilling an invitation from an “old friend”, referring to Rais.
“I wasn’t aligned to anyone actually . Rais is an old friend. He invited me, so I came.”
When asked if his presence at a PPBM event could be interpreted politically, he said: “We support everybody”.
The two prominent businessmen spent about an hour at the function.
Tony was criticised by Pakatan Harapan supporters during the general election campaign last May, when he appeared in a video clip praising the Najib Razak administration just four days before polling day.
“Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen a government that helped and provided us the opportunity to build ourselves into one of the biggest international brands in the world. And that’s not easy for a Malaysian company,” he had said.
Following BN’s defeat, Tony apologised to Malaysians, saying he had been under pressure to back Najib, adding that he had “buckled” at a crucial time in the country’s history.