KLANG, April 19 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today defended his administration’s Malaysia Madani motto from further criticism, saying the sincerity to deliver its promises mattered more than the words alone.
In a veiled swipe at predecessors, Anwar said the slogans of previous governments have only left Malaysia’s institutions rotten from top to bottom and in need of all-encompassing reforms.
“Whatever slogan is used, there will be no effects or meaning as long as there is no genuineness and commitment to practise it,” Anwar said in his speech at a breaking-of-fast event held at Masjid Ahmadi in Klang this evening.
He also said he would not tolerate those seeking to enrich themselves while in power, no matter if they flattered or threatened him.
“We don’t want Malaysia to be known as a country that is full of racial enmity, full of the narrowness of religious strife, loud with scandals of corruption, but in reality, the majority of the people are not at fault,” he said.
Before Anwar’s Malaysia Madani, the Ismail Sabri administration gave the country “Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family)”, which came after the Muhyiddin government’s “Kerajaan Prihatin (Caring Government)”.
Today, Anwar pointed to the political turmoil since the Covid-19 pandemic, when the so-called “Sheraton Move” of 2020 caused the country to have three prime ministers in as many years.
The “Sheraton Move” was the defection of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and a renegade PKR faction that brought down the Pakatan Harapan government at the time.
“How many prime ministers have we had up till this evening? Pray that I am given more time,” he said with a small chuckle.
Anwar pointed out that the despite the ensuing changes in administration, the problems plaguing Malaysia remained the same.
Now, however, he said the country has a real opportunity to work together and tackle problems such as entrenched corruption.
Earlier this month, Anwar said that he would provide proof that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had enriched himself and his family when he led the government, if the latter demanded it.
Dr Mahathir had done some good and a lot of damage to Malaysia when he was prime minister, Anwar said when asked for his response to the former’s legal threat over the enrichment claims.
