KUALA LUMPUR: Fighting corruption needs courage, and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is calling on university students to help him wipe out this menace.
“Whoever steals money, whether Tun, Tan Sri or Datuk Seri, will be arrested, charged and the funds will be confiscated.
“In 2025, we managed to get back RM15.5bil and this went back to the people for education and health,” he said during the Temu Anwar programme at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) yesterday.
He said the priority now is to focus on cleaning up corruption in the country.
“To me, that is very important. Improving governance, education policy and healthcare, all of this is necessary.
“But if the system is so corrupt that people start stealing money here and there, with funds leaking everywhere, it makes things extremely complex,” he said.
This, he said, is why the government has given enforcement agencies a free hand to act swiftly in tackling corruption, noting that addressing systemic corruption is essential for the nation’s long-term development.
“Once corruption is dealt with, the government can then focus on addressing major issues,” he added.
Highlighting the scale of past losses, he noted that billions had been recovered through enforcement actions.
“We cannot allow endemic corruption to continue. Cleaning it up requires a great deal of strength and courage to bring about real change,” he said.
Anwar also linked the fight against corruption to the broader goal of nation-building, noting that financial discipline and transparent governance are key to securing investments, creating jobs and sustaining economic growth.
He urged students to focus on education and excellence while maintaining strong moral and ethical values.
“We can evaluate a person from the perspective of knowledge mastery, but knowledge alone is not enough.
“Knowledge must be linked with the values of life, morals, ethics and humanity,” he said.
Highlighting the dangers of corruption, he pointed to those who exploit their skills and positions for personal gain.
“Today, in our country, even those with known records of embezzling billions are still being defended.
“That is the absence of human values,” he said.
He also reiterated the government’s commitment to enforcement and accountability.
