In an interview with Sin Chew Daily, the sultan acknowledged the financial challenges faced by Anwar’s unity government, which took office last November.

“Anwar only came to realise the government’s financial difficulties after taking office,” said Sultan Ibrahim.

He expressed relief that the prime minister’s visit to China earlier this year had resulted in several positive outcomes, and added that it is important for Malaysia to maintain friendly relations with China.

Sultan Ibrahim said he has a good relationship with the prime minister. “At times, he seeks my opinion, and at times, he provides me with suggestions,” the sultan said.

He said it is the right approach to place the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme for long-term foreign residents under the purview of the tourism ministry and reporting directly to the prime minister.

Malaysia must offer investor-friendly and practical visa options to attract more investments, especially in reconsidering the current MM2H programme. He said the second phase was already unfriendly and the third phase even worse.