Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister of Malaysia, has started his comeback with a big splash.

On Oct. 8, as part of his by-election campaign for Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan, he appeared on stage with an old friend and rival.

According to the New Straits Times, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad shared a stage with Anwar during the hustings.

Mahathir had no qualms about crediting Anwar's start in politics to himself. Said Mahathir light-heartedly:

"Yes, Anwar and I did not get along very well (back then). But remember, he joined UMNO and became (a) Minister because of me."

Perhaps alluding to the fact that Anwar went to prison during his previous term as PM, Mahathir spoke of "moving on" from the past:

"If I dwell on what had happened back then, we will not move. The same goes with Mohamad, Lim; the same thing would have happened."

Similar to Anwar, Pakatan Harapan members Lim Guan Eng and Mohamad "Mat" Sabu were detained during Mahathir's first term as PM.

Love Mahathir as a father

On his part, Anwar seemed grateful for Mahathir's appearance, saying that Malaysians were "lucky" to have Mahathir back as PM:

"I was moved that a statesman could let go of everything in the past for a greater cause to save Malaysia. Not many have the calibre of Dr Mahathir.

Malaysians are lucky to have gotten him once more to save the country. He changed the political landscape of Malaysia and he has served Malaysians because he rewrote history."

Anwar said that following the general election, the civil service, judiciary and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had been put back on track with Mahathir at the helm.

He even expressed affection for Mahathir, saying:

"I say it with all humility. I love him as a father and I even fought him. In such conditions, he is the best man to lead Malaysia."

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This was the first time in a while that the two politicians have appeared at a campaign event together.

Although Mahathir campaigned vigorously during the recent general election, Anwar was still serving his prison sentence at the time and could not participate.

Having obtained a royal pardon from the Head of State and following the resignation of the former MP of Port Dickson, Anwar has a path back to Parliament once more.

There are a total of seven candidates vying for the seat, including Anwar.

However, the Barisan Nasional coalition have boycotted the by-election, claiming that it was engineered to fulfil a person's political ambitions.

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Top image from Anwar Ibrahim's Facebook page