Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today stressed that his administration adopts a zero-tolerance approach towards abuse of power and corruption.
He said action will be taken against anyone who is found to have committed such criminal misconduct, including those who carry titles such as “Tun” or “Tan Sri”.
“We will uphold the highest ethical standards and there will be no room for abuse of power under this administration. Any breaches will be severely dealt with even if you’re a ‘Tun’ or ‘Tan Sri’.
“Regardless of whether you are with the government or the opposition, we will act without fear or favour,” he said in his keynote speech at Invest Malaysia.
Last month, citing sources, New Straits Times reported “Tan Sri” Muhyiddin Yassin would be called up by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
It said the former prime minister was being called in over the alleged RM300 million that Bersatu was said to have received as political funds from contractors who were awarded projects during his administration.
Also last month, Utusan Malaysia reported that a former minister had been called in by MACC to provide a statement in relation to the Pandora Papers.
Citing a source, the daily reported that the 84-year-old former finance minister had his statement taken after he was called in for questioning at MACC’s headquarters in Putrajaya on Feb 13.
The source said the statement was believed to have centred around explaining the financial flow of 12 offshore companies linked to him and his family, who were suspected of possessing “extraordinary wealth”.
Meanwhile, Anwar lauded the stellar gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 8.7% which the country achieved last year.
“We project Malaysia will achieve a 4.5% GDP growth in 2023, which would still be a notable achievement given the current global economic environment.”
However, he said the federal government debt is quite high as it sits just below 61% of GDP, with the statutory limit being 65% of GDP, having been raised twice during the pandemic.
“Taken together with contingent liabilities, our total debt is RM1.5 trillion or 81% of GDP.” – FMT