Looking ahead: Anwar speaking at the closing ceremony of FOI 2025 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre. — Bernama
PUTRAJAYA: The education system needs to provide space for students to think, reason and be brave in expressing their views based on knowledge, in order to produce a society capable of critical thinking and bold in upholding the truth, says the Prime Minister.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said in tandem with the country’s progress, the education system should not focus solely on examinations and rote memorisation, nor remain trapped in a colonised and rigid mindset.
He called on students to master sound and forward-looking ideas, saying that while Malaysia may be independent and sovereign, some of its people’s mindset still needs to break free from outdated thinking.
“Some are still trapped in blind imitation, rigid thinking and obsession with old ways while rejecting new ideas and technologies,” he said when closing the Festival of Ideas (FOI) 2025.
The Prime Minister urged students to use intellectual freedom responsibly, to seek truth, not spread half-truths.
“We have good universities and libraries, so how can we still think in such narrow ways?” the Prime Minister asked.
Anwar said young Malaysians have the mission and responsibility to generate ideas that will make the nation great.
“Ideas must be progressive, otherwise, we will fall behind.
“You are the future of this nation. For those of us in government now, we will do our best to help the poor, the marginalised, those in the interior, through social mobility efforts and education,” he said.
Anwar said events like the FOI is an important platform to develop fresh and open thinking in line with the country’s aspirations.
“The FOI is proof of the government’s openness in encouraging fresh and bold discourses grounded in values and morality,” he said.
Now in its second year, the FOI 2025 is not just a platform for the exchange of ideas but also a key venue to realise solutions based on knowledge and creativity for the well-being of the people and the progress of the nation.
The Prime Minister said Malaysia has become a global focal point as a result of the implementation of its value-based digital transformation policies, in addition to emerging as a regional hub for semiconductor and artificial intelligence development.
He added that Malaysia can become a great nation if technological advancement is accompanied by human values rooted in the principles of justice and compassion rather than the politics of hatred.
