Final touches: Anwar being briefed by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (left) on preparations for the 47th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. — CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Youths should take charge in fighting corruption in the country as the government seeks to consolidate its finances and plug leakages, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the savings achieved through the rationalisation of subsidies and efforts to curb corruption, leakages and smuggling have enabled the government to collect up to RM15.5bil in revenue over the two years.
“This is why I have been talking about governance. Leadership must be clean, and corruption must be stopped.
“Yes, I need the support of the young. You must take the lead. You must say no more corruption in this country, no smuggling and no syndicate,” he said at the opening of the International Young Future Leaders’ Summit.
He said savings from sound government decisions allowed Putrajaya to carry out certain ambitious agendas, such as providing free university education to the poor.
“Because of that, I am able to start something close and dear to my heart. Education should be free. So, from next year, the very poor in this country will get free education until university,” he said.
On the issue of Palestine, Anwar said Malaysia is willing to set aside its differences with other countries to find a solution to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“I may have some differences with many of them, but it doesn’t matter. On issues of peace and human dignity, we should be together,” he said.
US President Donald Trump and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with leaders from more than 20 countries, converged in Sharm El-Sheikh to finalise an agreement aimed at ending the Israeli war that has persisted since Oct 7, 2023.
Anwar said that with the truce achieved, humanitarian aid does not need to go through the sea.
“I hope to speak with President Abdel Fattah in the coming days to propose that he permit our contingent to travel through Egypt to Rafah and continue our assistance,” he said.
At the Global Islamic Finance Forum 2025, Anwar said it was time to shift the major concern of economic development to justice and equality, rather than focusing solely on competitiveness and profits.
He said that merely Islamising financial instruments within the Islamic finance sector will not eliminate poverty if the system is plagued by corruption and fund leakage at the top, all of which is compounded by a lack of good governance.
“Our understanding of economic development should be adjusted to encompass societal concerns related to human quality and justice. We tend to confine ourselves to unbridled capitalism, as do most countries, including Muslim countries,” he said.
He warned that, regardless of how effective an Islamic financial instrument may be, a system plagued by poor governance, corruption, and abuse of power will fail to achieve the objectives of maqasid syariah (the higher aims of syariah law).
