TANJUNG RAMBUTAN: A child's foundation begins with early education and love within the family, that values and characters must be nurtured from a young age, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said that in the pursuit of economic growth, advanced education systems and modern facilities, the nation must not neglect the foundation of family, education and love.
“My Home, My Heaven” (Rumahku Syurgaku) in the Hadith underscores the role of the parental home as not only a place of upbringing rooted in love and compassion, but also one where parents set positive examples for their children, an aim reinforced through policy.
“Even as we discuss the economy, information technology, digital transformation and energy transition, the foundation remains the family,” he said.
He was speaking after launching the Dasar Kasih Keluarga Negara and the Jelajah Sejahtera Madani – Skim Insurans Kesejahteraan Rakyat at the Sultan Azlan Shah Health Ministry Training Institute on Saturday (Feb 14).
Also present were his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohammad, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah.
“We do not merely craft policies at the top. We go down to the districts to understand real problems such as drainage issues, damaged schools and floods that directly affect the people," he added.
Touching on education reforms, Anwar said the government decided to lower the school entry age to six to ensure Malaysia remains competitive globally, adding that children today were more exposed and prepared at an earlier age.
“This move, he said, would require additional teachers, classrooms and funding, with nearly RM1bil in extra allocation committed for this purpose.
“This is an investment for our children. If a nation is to progress and families are to thrive, they must be given the best possible education,” he said, stressing the importance of starting from preschool through primary school.
Touching on the economy, he said that the nation’s recent performance reflected sound governance and political stability, with the Department of Statistics Malaysia data showing stronger-than-expected growth in the fourth quarter.
“Investments have reached record highs, unemployment remains low, inflation is under control, and incomes are improving, although we continue to face certain challenges,” he said.
He added that economic benefits must turn into benefits for the people, citing the RM15bil annual allocation for Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah.
“This is not a small sum. The nation’s profits and gains must be returned to the people.
He also said that peace and strong economic performance can only be sustained if corruption and misappropriation are stopped. Malaysia has tremendous potential.
“In Asean, Malaysia’s economic performance is among the best and the ringgit has shown strong performance across Asia and this should be defended,” he said.
Separately, Anwar also allocated RM5mil for the state for the state government for small-scale district projects.
He said that in Perak, the focus was not on requesting large-scale projects, but on addressing the people’s immediate needs.
He added that the allocation would focus on schools’ leaking roofs, drainage and more.
“While we plan for major projects, whatever is urgently needed now should be implemented immediately. Let us proceed with these small projects first”
“Addressing major floods along Sungai Perak and coastal erosion would cost about RM3 to RM4bil and that should be done first.
“I have announced this today. On Monday, the cheques can be issued,” he said.
