KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today hinted that Budget 2027 could include measures to help university students struggling to afford food, saying the government was already looking into the issue.

Addressing thousands of youths at the Youth Economic Forum (YEF) 2026 here, Anwar said the government’s role included improving the quality of education and ensuring students could master Malay while strengthening their command of English and other languages.

“There are university students who say, we want to learn but we are hungry. We focus on it. Later I will announce during the Budget. Can’t announce it all,” he said, drawing loud cheers and applause from the audience.

Last Saturday, Anwar said he had heard of lower-income university students going hungry and surviving on instant noodles, adding that the Treasury already had several preliminary proposals to address the issue.

Anwar also stressed that young Malaysians should not see themselves merely as leaders of the future, but as leaders who could already work together to make a difference.

“The youth now, in the current narrative, certainly are leaders for the future. But the youth now should also help and lead the country together. You are not only leaders for the future, but also leaders now working together,” he said.

He urged young Malaysians of different ethnic backgrounds to reject racial and religious hatred, saying the country’s diversity should instead be harnessed as a strength.

“My word, I’m confident, if this is the new spirit, we will see our country advance fast and in 10 years’ time, it is not the Malaysia we know today, but we will see a new, vibrant, progressive, successful Malaysia,” he said.

At the forum organised by the Perdana Fellows Alumni Association, Anwar also received six youth-led policy proposals based on a nationwide survey of more than 2,000 youths.

The proposals covered artificial intelligence, green entrepreneurship, skills development, public services, foreign direct investment and the establishment of a National Youth Economic Action Council as a platform for youths to contribute to economic policy. 

He also received a memorandum on the proposals for Budget 2027.

YEF 2026 was held under the theme “Decoding the Next Decade: Advancing Malaysia’s Economic Frontier”.

Anwar received a warm welcome from the youths when he arrived for the forum, with many cheering and some chanting “PMX”, a reference to his position as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister.