KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged the Malays to uplift themselves through faith and good character, not by demeaning other communities.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said true strength comes from moral discipline and accountability, adding that the culture of “siphoning public funds” and abusing power for personal gain has long undermined the community’s progress.
“Last year, we recorded fairly good growth, with the best investment figures in our history, but then came the Trump tariffs. These imposed high taxes on our goods. We’re negotiating. These are not easy problems, and I will explain the tariff issue in Parliament on the 5th (May 5).
“What I want to show is that we must unite. As Malays, we are not strong by insulting others. We will not succeed simply by condemning the Chinese or demeaning the Indians.
“No, we can elevate our standing if we remain steadfast, improve our faith, refine our character and ensure that our leaders, ministers, and officials do not steal from the people or seize every project for personal gain. That is what has destroyed the Malays,” he said in his speech when officiating the ground-breaking ceremony for the Development Project of Rumah Belia Madani & Affordable Housing in Mukim Batu, here.
Anwar said he aims to improve and upgrade the people’s houses rather than having landmark buildings.
“It’s alright that there are no landmarks, they say Anwar has no buildings to his name — I don’t mind. I take pride in the fact that during my time as Prime Minister, the people’s homes were improved and upgraded.
“I don’t think it’s right for us to entertain such misguided views. We should focus on building our nation,” he said.
