KUALA LUMPUR: Two of Tun Abdul Razak Hussein’s three 'C's, communalism and corruption, remain major challenges to Malaysia today, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic).
The Prime Minister recalled a discussion with Tun Razak more than five decades ago, when the former prime minister spoke about the three major threats facing the country at the time, communism, communalism and corruption.
“The first C, the communist threat, in terms of a militant communist insurgency, is no longer around.
“But we must remain vigilant against foreign or extremist ideologies.
“However, communalism remains strong and corruption continues to be one of our major problems,” Anwar said at the “Remembering Statesman Tun Abdul Razak: Architect of National Development and Nation-Building” event at the Tun Abdul Razak Memorial here today (Sept 8).
“Hopefully, our discussions today will not lose sight of the message left by a statesman who was able to look beyond his own time and recognise the dangers that could threaten the country, dangers that our generation and future generations must avoid.
“Young people, in particular, must understand this,” said Anwar.
"And then, imagine this, in the 1970s, Tun Razak identified the third major threat facing the country, which is corruption.
Anwar said Tun Razak had warned that the practice had already begun to “take root among those in power”.
His message to young people at the time was: “Believe me.", said Anwar.
Tun Razak, Anwar said, challenged the young, saying, in effect: “Yes, all of you are against corruption now. You reject it strongly because nobody is offering you bribes.”
“But once you become somebody, that is when the problem begins. You start to think, ‘A little is okay.’”
I remember that message from Tun Razak," said Anwar.
