KAJANG, Nov 1 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today stressed that government funds must be properly safeguarded and managed, warning that strict action would be taken against anyone who betrayed the trust placed in them.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said agencies providing financing for entrepreneurship, including the National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund (TEKUN Nasional), Bank Rakyat and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), bore a major responsibility to ensure funds reached their intended beneficiaries without leakage or misappropriation.
“Manage these funds properly... This is money held in trust. If you breach that trust, you will be arrested and charged. Only then can we safeguard our country,” he said.
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2026 National Hawkers and Small Traders Day (HPPK) Carnival here, which was also attended by Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim and Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek.
Also present were Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar and Malaysian Malay Hawkers and Small Traders Associations Federation (GPPPKMM) president Datuk Zainal Abidin Abd Majid.
On the country’s fiscal capacity, Anwar said the Madani Government’s efficient and transparent governance has enabled it to increase various forms of assistance and allocations for the people.
He said welfare allocations, including the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) aid, which will total RM16 billion next year, as well as the RM18 billion allocation for civil servants’ salary adjustments implemented this year, were made possible by the government’s improved management of public finances.
“Some people question how we can afford to increase allocations. It is because there is no leakage, no misappropriation, and no corruption. Insya-Allah, there are blessings in this, and we are helping the people. That is our purpose,” he said.
Anwar also stressed that the Madani Government remained committed to addressing the concerns of people nationwide, including in opposition-governed states, dismissing allegations that the government practised discrimination.
He said the government was committed to resolving the people’s problems regardless of political affiliation, including reinstating special assistance for religious teachers and repairing dilapidated pondok school buildings that had been neglected since 2003.
“Kelantan is governed by a different political party, but the people’s problems are our problems too. This is different from what we hear about alleged discrimination, that we do not provide assistance or that the Malays are not receiving anything.
“When we took over in 2022, we felt that this was not a fair system. We said we wanted to look after the people, so we assisted,” he said.
Anwar urged all parties not to defend abuses of power and corruption, but instead to collectively uphold values of decency, morality and integrity for the country’s prosperity.
“We are called upon to uphold what is good and reject what is wrong,” he said. — Bernama
