LONDON: The new generation and young Malaysians must have the courage to reject corruption, racism and religious extremism, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"In our Madani concept, we don’t compromise on issues like corruption, leaders squandering wealth... it doesn’t matter (the same) coalition or not,” he said during a question-and-answer session following his lecture at the London School of Economics (LSE) here on Friday (Jan 14).
The lecture was attended by about 500 students and lecturers, including Malaysian students studying at LSE.
Anwar said that while the Constitution guarantees the rights of the majority - Muslims, Malays and Bumiputeras, certain groups exploit race-based policies to insult and incite hatred towards other races.
Anwar, who is on a five-day working visit to the United Kingdom, said Malaysia had significant growth potential in the past, but poor governance and greed had hindered progress.
During his talk, Anwar also championed Palestine.
"When college and university students the world over stood united in protest against Israel’s violent occupation and colonial project in Palestine, some governments responded with harsh reprisals. These are not dictatorships or autocracies but supposedly the shining examples of freedom and democracy,” he said.
When asked why Malaysia has not ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, Anwar said the Malaysian government treats refugees well despite not being a signatory.
"We have several million illegal workers and refugees in Malaysia, including about 200,000 from Myanmar. Whether refugees or illegal workers, our stance is that they must be treated humanely,” he added. – Bernama
