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PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has defended his administration’s firm stance against corruption and financial leakages, revealing that the government has recovered RM15.5 billion in revenue through stricter enforcement over the past two years.
Speaking during a breaking-of-fast event with the Home Ministry on Saturday (March 7), Anwar acknowledged that the measures had provoked resistance from powerful interests but insisted the government would remain resolute.
The prime minister said the recovery of previously uncollected revenue raised troubling questions about past governance.
"Previously, it was not collected, so where did the money go? If we can collect RM15bil in two years... where did all the money go that was not collected before? That is the question we must answer if we want to avoid repeating the mistake; we must continue to be firm with our actions.
"I say (this action) is not popular because those affected are not ordinary people. Many of them have large funds that can influence international media, influence social media and influence politicians in various parties.
"I do not mean the opposition, (but) everyone, because these large funds exert influence and this is what we are witnessing now," he said.
Anwar also cautioned political actors and the public against becoming tools of vested interests, stressing that safeguarding the country must take precedence over political differences.
During the same engagement, the prime minister approved an immediate allocation of RM18 million to upgrade basic infrastructure at the 2nd Battalion General Operations Force (GOF) camp.
According to Anwar, RM10 million will be used to restore the camp’s water supply system while RM8 million will fund repairs to its electrical wiring.
He said the decision was made after speaking directly with personnel at the facility, who reported that water rationing was still in place.
"Earlier, before I entered (into the camp), I went to meet and speak with the GOF personnel. I asked them about the situation, and they said that the water supply is being rationed.
“This is 2026, and they work hard in the field and, when they return, they have to think about water rationing. So, we have immediately approved the RM10mil allocation.
"Then, for the wiring works, RM8mil has been approved. So, RM10mil for water and RM8mil for wiring. This is a special case because when I came, they said there was no water," Anwar said.
Separately, the prime minister also announced RM2.69 million in immediate funding to repair pondok schools in Kedah.
"So, for Kedah, we have identified the need for an immediate allocation for 15 small projects for pondok schools to be repaired," he said.
Meanwhile, Anwar sent a subtle political signal about the possibility of closer engagement with the Islamist party PAS after visiting its ailing spiritual adviser Datuk Hashim Jasin at Penang Hospital.
Hashim, 87, is currently in the intensive care unit after undergoing a procedure to insert a stent in his heart.
In a Facebook post, Anwar described Hashim as an old friend and said he had prayed for the veteran PAS leader’s recovery.
Party observers noted that Hashim had been among the earliest PAS figures willing to work with Anwar following his expulsion from UMNO in 1998.
The visit made Anwar the most senior PKR leader to call on Hashim during his hospitalisation, following an earlier visit by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Political insiders interpreted the gesture as a possible signal that Anwar is open to cooperating more closely with PAS, particularly on governance issues affecting Malay-majority states.
PAS currently leads the governments of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, and maintains a strong presence in Perlis, where the Mentri Besar, Abu Bakar Hamzah, is from PAS ally Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
Hashim has remained an influential voice within the party, including during the recent political tensions in Perlis.
During the crisis, he defended three PAS assemblymen who were later expelled after backing Bersatu representatives in urging the resignation of then-chief minister Mohd Shukri Ramli.
The episode ultimately resulted in Abu Bakar’s appointment as the Chief Minister.
Hashim is also understood to support a strategy in which PAS contests the next general election independently before potentially cooperating with the eventual winning bloc to ensure political stability and continued development.
A staunch defender of Malaysia’s Malay royal institution, Hashim assumed the party’s top religious advisory role after the death of his friend Datuk Haron Din.
The position was previously held for more than two decades by the late Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Paduka Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, whose tenure helped cement the post’s prominence within PAS. - March 8, 2026