Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday reiterated his commitment to eradicating corruption, calling for a new leadership culture that prioritises the country’s interests over personal gain.
Since coming to power nearly two years ago, Anwar has made combating corruption a central focus of his agenda as he seeks to consolidate support for his administration, which is still struggling to secure broad support among the country’s Malay-Muslim majority.
Anwar said the country has suffered from instances where local leaders had been “reckless, arrogant, corrupt and greedy”, like the colonial masters that they replaced when the nation gained independence from British rule in 1957.
“This must not be allowed to continue,” he said in a national address ahead of Saturday’s Independence Day celebration.
“My hope is to put an end to old practices and start a new culture of leadership that is more responsible, that is not allowed to steal the country of its riches and abuse their power.”
Anwar did not name any past leaders or point to any specific case of corruption in his speech.
Earlier this year, his administration launched a high profile graft crackdown that has implicated the family and close associates of his political nemesis and two-time prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, in an operation that Anwar had said would hold elites accountable for decades of abusing their positions and power.
Mahathir, who had sacked Anwar as his deputy in 1998 and later had him jailed on charges of corruption and sodomy, accused the prime minister of selective persecution against his critics.
Anwar said the country and its system of governance have long enabled corruption to thrive and undermine Malaysia’s independence.
Malaysians must come together and reject behaviour that could pave the way for abuse and graft, he said.
“This is where I call on all Malaysians to accept the reality that our independence was achieved through the strength of our unity,” he said.
The government will also continue to take action against any individual or party seeking to sow disunity or incite racial hatred, Anwar said, adding that they “must save our country from those seeking to sabotage our unity”.
Critics have accused Anwar’s administration of abandoning its reform agenda and clamping down on freedom of speech and expression after the government announced plans to require social media and internet messaging platforms to be licensed to operate in Malaysia.
“We will use whatever is in our power to amend our laws and keep our country safe,” he said.
