KUALA LUMPUR: Who would have thought that a young person would one day find himself having a formal dinner with fellow members of the Malaysian diaspora in a foreign country, alongside the prime minister?
A viral TikTok video featuring a heartwarming exchange between Naufal Omar, a Malaysian marketing executive working in the skincare industry in South Korea, and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has inspired thousands of viewers.
In the 1-minute-52-second video, the conversation begins when Anwar, seated across from Naufal and other diaspora members, asked what Naufal does for a living.
Naufal told Anwar that his CEO had given him approval to attend the dinner, but with one condition, he had to present skincare products to the Prime Minister.
Anwar then switched seats to sit next to Naufal, posing for a photo as proof that he received the skincare.
Naufal then explained the skincare products to the Tambun member of Parliament.
During their conversation, Naufal opens up about his journey in Korea and how, despite facing rejection from multiple companies due to language barriers and the preference for local candidates, he eventually landed a job in the industry.
As the conversation wraps up, Anwar sends-off, saying, "Anyway, tomorrow you'll see me and think, 'Wow, different person' (after using the skincare given by Naufal)."
Naufal said in caption: "I was so nervous.. Honoured to have shared such a priceless moment with the Prime Minister and then it hit me—why not dream bigger? Maybe one day I could be Malaysia's ambassador to South Korea," he said.
The video has racked up over 1.3 million views and 110,000 likes since it was posted on Nov 27, with many users praising both the prime minister's leadership and Naufal's courage to talk to him.
A user, Syahir Azman, commented, "It doesn't matter who the PM is, speaking to a PM takes a lot of courage. When we see youth being brave like this, we should offer them encouraging words."
Another user, HH, wrote, "How nice of PMX to change seats so he could speak directly to you! That's true leadership!"
Meanwhile, Ejaat_ said, "I'm proud of you, Naufal. Even here in Egypt, we had a brief conversation with YAB PMX, and it was such an honour."