Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says he was quoting from the book ‘Hikayat Hang Tuah’ when he mentioned the term ‘keling’ during a dialogue session at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Perak on Thursday. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, December 23, 2023.

PM cites ‘Hikayat Hang Tuah’ in use of term ‘keling’

· The Malaysian Insight

PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the use of the term “keling” during the Temu Anwar Dialog Mahasiswa programme at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Tanjung Malim, Perak on Thursday referred to an excerpt from the book “Hikayat Hang Tuah” and was not meant to insult any party,  

He said the book depicted Hang Tuah’s mastery of various languages, including Malay, Arabic, Siamese, and the “Keling” language, derived from the term “kalinga”. 

“Now, the term ‘keling’ is disliked by many, so I don’t use it. I only quoted from the book. 

“If there is any misunderstanding, I apologise; it’s not my intention (to insult). I’m the last person to cast aspersions, insulting any ethnicity or religion,” he said at a dialogue session with chief editors of electronic, print, and online media today. – Bernama, December 23, 2023.