PETALING JAYA: Leadership today demands moral clarity and the courage to reform, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said a future ready civil service needs leaders who think beyond electoral cycles, act transparently and welcome scrutiny.
“Integrity must be the organising principle, because without trust even the best designed systems will fail,” he said on Tuesday (Oct 7).
He delivered the keynote at the Asean Conference 2025: Future Ready Public Service.
Anwar said technology is reshaping governance, from data analytics to artificial intelligence, to make life simpler and service more humane.
“The next frontier is interoperability, where citizens share their details once, and the government uses them responsibly across agencies,” he said.
“Each interaction must leave an audit trail that earns, not demands, public trust,” added Anwar.
He then said that the digital government should lighten the citizen’s day and never add to the burden.
“At the heart of governance lies morality, and without moral purpose, public service loses its direction,” he said.
“Our duty is to empower citizens and ensure progress reaches every layer of society,” added Anwar.
