Past Contributions No Excuse to Allow Anyone to Plunder Public or National Wealth – Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: No one should be allowed to plunder or misappropriate public and national wealth, even if they have contributed to the country for hundreds of years, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

In a Facebook post, Anwar said tolerating corruption merely on the basis of an individual’s past contributions was completely contrary to Islamic teachings.

“This tolerance for evil is what destroys us. Those of us who despise and oppose corruption must speak out more strongly and send a clear message that corrupt individuals belong in prison,” he said.

In the same post, the Prime Minister also shared an excerpt from his speech at the 14th MADANI Scholars Forum on the dangers of a culture of permissiveness, as previously highlighted by Indonesian thinker and former leader Mohammad Natsir.

“I often remind people of what Indonesian leader Muhammad Natsir once described as a culture of permissiveness. Everything is okay. A little wrongdoing, okay. A little stealing, okay. How much is a little? Billions, okay. So, it is this tolerance for evil that destroys us,” he said.

BERNAMA