Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim Congratulates Vijay, Highlights Deep Tamil Nadu Ties

Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday highlighted the deep historical and cultural ties between Malaysia and Tamil Nadu while congratulating actor-turned-politician Chandrasekar Joseph Vijay on becoming the state’s new Chief Minister.

In a post on X, Ibrahim recalled how Vijay’s fans had watched him defeat “corrupt politicians and assorted villains” on screen before taking on a far greater real-life responsibility. Congratulating his “friend,” the Malaysian Prime Minister referred to Vijay’s political slogan, “Oru Viral Puratchi” or “one-finger revolution,” saying it was now “on the cusp of creating history.”

The 51-year-old founder of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam was sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Sunday after his party’s electoral victory.

Malaysia and Tamil Nadu have been connected for centuries through vibrant maritime trade routes linking the Bay of Bengal and the Strait of Malacca . Under British colonial rule, large numbers of Tamils moved to present-day Malaysia to work in plantations, railways and government services, leading to the growth of one of the largest Tamil-origin communities outside India. Although Tamil is widely spoken and taught within Malaysia’s Indian population, it is not recognised as a national or official language there, unlike in Singapore, where Tamil holds official language status alongside Malay, Mandarin and English.

Today, the relationship extends beyond culture into trade, logistics and investment. Chennai and nearby ports maintain regular shipping links with Malaysian hubs such as Port Klang and Penang. The sea route between Chennai and Port Klang spans around 2,600 km , making Tamil Nadu an important gateway for India’s trade with Southeast Asia.

Key exports from Tamil Nadu include automobiles, engineering goods, textiles and IT services , while imports from Malaysia include palm oil, petroleum products, electronics and rubber-based goods . Direct air connectivity between Chennai and Kuala Lumpur has further strengthened tourism, education and business exchanges between the two regions.