PUTRAJAYA, Jan 19 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the entire country and its people need a new narrative and a mindset change if they are to be one of the leading nations in the world.
Speaking at the launch of his new reformation plan called “Membangun Negara Madani” (Developing a Madani Nation) Anwar said he wants to foster a new way of thinking among Malaysians.
He said the Madani concept comprises six tentpoles, which are sustainability, well-being, creativity, respect, confidence and kindness.
“The ways of the past cannot be practised today as it won’t solve our nation’s issues. It is sad that after 60 years, we still have so many hardcore poor while others enrich themselves.
“We talk about inflation at 4 per cent in total, but food inflation is at 7 per cent, while the rate of unemployment is also different between men and women.
“To paraphrase (Albert) Einstein, not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted,” he said during the launch event at Putrajaya.
Anwar lamented the fact that Malaysia’s economy is run by a select few who are very rich. He said this was capitalism.
“The mega rich, chosen ones, control almost all sectors of the economy to the point we cannot identify any new players so they continue to enrich themselves and the wealth cannot be shared,” he said.
He likened the situation to pirates invading Malaysia in the past, which if left unchecked, would result in a monopoly.
This in turn would cause the people to suffer as they continue to struggle to make ends meet.
“This is why we need holistic changes that are guided by principles of good ethics, good governance, honesty and integrity.
“Madani means we must have good values and prioritise good governance and ethics. This will be crucial as we face 2023. Madani will be the approach we take where we disregard race, religion and political affiliations so everyone can have a fair chance,” he added.
Anwar gave an example where he said the Cabinet managed to save RM6 billion in wastages from a government project that was mentioned in the auditor-general’s report from 2021.
He said he also wants to remove unnecessary commissions demanded by middlemen and ensure businesses run smoothly, especially since many businesses were still struggling to recover from the pandemic.
He also asked that the level of poverty be measures not just in earnings, but also in terms of education.
“It cannot just be figures. We must look at living conditions as well. This is why at a time when we are trying to restructure and recover the economy, big projects that are not beneficial must be offered with more transparency,” he said.
Anwar also said there are around 13,600 families categorised as hardcore poor while another 380,000 are poor.
He said they will continue to rely on the government for aid if we did not change our culture of corruption or giving bribes.
“We must free them from this dependency syndrome or else they will forever be poor. As for the minorities — Chinese and Indians — there are murmurs you will be neglected,” he said.
“I want to assure you this unity government will never neglect you and those in Sabah and Sarawak who have long been suffering.
“Remember that it is not the downtrodden who should feel threatened, but those who are arrogant and corrupt.
“I hope we can leave this mentality behind and together we can write a new chapter in history for everyone in Malaysia, and not the select few groups.”
