A PICTURE speaks a thousand words or so it would seem to netizens keen to read into a widely circulated photograph.

His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia was hosting PMX Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to lunch at a popular ikan asam pedas restaurant in Johor Bahru.

Among the many who shared the image on social media was pro-Madani government tweeter Adam Yusuf (@adamyusuf88) who liked the “vibe” of the photo, noting that it captured a “nice moment” [this is aside from the restaurant’s unique name – Kedai Minuman Jadi Baru (Botak)].

He also cheekily stated the restaurant was full of Chinese writing while tagging @chedetofficial (twice former premiere Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) who had recently made a meal (pun fully intended) out of a Chinese restaurant in Kuala Lumpur that prominently displayed signage with Chinese writing.

The poster went on to surmise that there was a clear message behind this photo, contending that Malaysia is fine with its multi-cultural identity.

Adam Yusuf’s post which had been viewed 450.4k times at the time of writing elicited plenty of responses from both sides of the fence.

Some netizens were of the opinion that this lunch photo was to send an indirect message to certain parties and individuals with nationalist agendas.

While another opined that if PMX were to be photographed eating alone (sans royalty) in a Chinese restaurant, walaun (slang for staunch PAS supporters) would be up in arms.

Another poked fun of those who are seemingly provoked by the mere sight of Chinese writing while making no fuss over other “foreign” names. He jokingly said ‘sushi’ should also be literally translated into Bahasa Malaysia as “nasi balut Jepun”.

One commenter even observed that pro-Chinese action and language was needed to attract much needed foreign investment as opposed to xenophobic rants.

Some were amazed that Sultan Ibrahim was fine to do away with fancy protocols by sitting on a plastic chair and simply enjoy a good meal.

Of course, there were those who could not hide their disapproval over this image. Some pointedly asked why not patronise a Malay asam pedas eatery (given such dish is of Malay origin) instead of this obviously Chinese-owned eatery (subtly questioning the halal status of the restaurant, perhaps).

However, more than a few netizens were quick to give the proverbial thumbs up to this restaurant, with one claiming that “half of JB had already dined there”.

With some now worried that this “secret” restaurant would become even more famous with this photograph, making it even more difficult for regulars to get their orders in.

One commenter asked the very pertinent question – who picked up the tab?

At the end of the day, one netizen perhaps best summed up the vibe of the photo by proclaiming this was what he loved about his country. – Dec 12, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/agongs-asam-pedas-feast-with-pmx-in-popular-chinese-restaurant-in-jb-sends-profound-message/