IPOH: Government leaders holding federal positions must not misuse their authority to campaign against fellow unity government partners, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim warning that those who do so should resign from their posts.
Anwar said those holding federal positions must maintain discipline and should not exploit their roles to launch political attacks against partners within the unity government, even though parties may compete against each other at the state level under the democratic system.
He said he had discussed the matter with deputy prime ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, particularly regarding the ongoing election campaign in Negri Sembilan.
“We know there are parties that are the same at the federal level but are contesting against each other at the state level.
“That is acceptable because in a democratic system, this is allowed and everyone can make their own interpretations.
“But we reminded candidates, especially those who hold positions as ministers, deputy ministers or in any agency, that they can campaign on state issues.
“However, if they hold federal positions, they cannot use that position to attack or turn it into a political platform to oppose them because they must uphold discipline,” he told reporters at the Madani Kita event held at the Taman Perpaduan community hall here on Sunday (July 19).
Anwar said those who wished to openly oppose their government partners while holding federal positions should first relinquish their posts.
“If they want to do that, they must step down from their positions as ministers, deputy ministers or members of agency boards,” he said.
He added that the rule applied to all government agencies, including those under his purview such as the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) and Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda).
“We must ensure that there are no breaches. If there are violations, I will ask them to step down,” he said.
Anwar said the government wanted to ensure that relations between the federal and state governments, including Perak, remained stable so that administrative work could continue smoothly.
“Let us manage this. If there is a contest, it should remain at the state level,” he said.
On the Retirement Fund (Incorporated) (KWAP), Anwar said he would provide a detailed response in the Dewan Negara tomorrow.
He said KWAP was under the government’s overall purview but operated as a financial entity with its own investment panel and board.
“KWAP is indeed under the government’s overall purview, but it is a financial company.
“It has pension fund holders, an investment panel and a board. It does not report directly to us.
“However, I do not want to make excuses. We will provide the facts tomorrow,” he said.
KWAP has under the spotlight recently following its RM200mil investment losses involving Indonesian aquaculture technology company eFishery.
On April 29, 2026, eFishery co-founder and former chief executive officer Gibran Huzaifah was sentenced by the Bandung District Court to nine years’ imprisonment after being convicted of embezzlement and money laundering.
KWAP invested alongside a consortium of reputable international institutional investors, including Temasek, SoftBank, 42XFund and Northstar, all of which conducted their own rigorous due diligence.
Despite these safeguards, the startup’s management allegedly executed a sophisticated fraud by manipulating its financial statements.
The consortium has since lodged reports with the relevant authorities and initiated legal action to recover the funds.
