Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has today expressed his sadness at not having Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, whom he described as his good friend, with him in leading the government.

The Prime Minister said that he and Mohd Shafie were comrades, especially in UMNO, until he was sacked and Mohd Shafie decided to leave the party.

"But what I am sad about is that now that I am the Prime Minister, the leadership of Sabah is not with me. He (Mohd Shafie) is my good friend because in politics, one day you can be friends and the next moment you are enemies.

"But when it comes to the administration of the country, as far as possible the federal and state governments must be the same, and of one heart and one mind," he said while revealing that Mohd Shafie had welcomed him at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport today.

He said this when speaking at 'An Evening With the Prime Minister' event at the Sabah International Convention Centre here today.

Muhyiddin, who is making his first official visit to the state since becoming Prime Minister, was welcomed by Mohd Shafie and photographs of the two leaders doing the fist bump at the airport has been widely shared by many social media and Internet users.

-- BERNAMA