DAVOS: The importance of governance and leadership accountability in Malaysia are among the top priorities of the MADANI administration, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He made this statement, noting that many nations have been destroyed due to the arrogance and corruption of their leaders, while emphasizing that effective leadership must be grounded in humility and a commitment to tackling corruption head-on.
“We inherited some issues and scandals of the past, so we have to be very rigid on that, which is challenging, particularly when corruption is deemed to be systemic.
“The tender process must be transparent, and there must be an effective anti-corruption commission with adequate legislation and adequate powers, I think that should be a start.”
Anwar said this during a special one-on-one exclusive dialogue with forum leadership, titled ‘A Conversation with Anwar Ibrahim’ moderated by World Economic Forum (WEF) founder and chairman of the board of trustees Prof Klaus Schwab today.
Schwab had earlier asked Anwar about the key qualities of a successful political leader in today’s fast-paced world.
On the complexity of governance, the Prime Minister said political leaders must not only possess the will to lead but also the humility to acknowledge their limitations.
“The humility of leadership is important because political leaders, despite the praises we receive, often tend to forget that there is a learning curve and that we must have humility to acknowledge our limitations,” he said.
Anwar said that his leadership would be based on the principles of justice and fairness for all citizens, regardless of their social or economic status.
He said it is the government’s role to ensure equal access to opportunities for education, health, and welfare for every Malaysian.
“No one should be and deserves to be treated in that manner (inequality) and if you talk about the dignity of men and women, then their opportunities, their education, their health, their welfare must be given adequate protection.
“These gross inequalities and the unbridled capitalism must come to an end as far as Malaysia is concerned. Of course, it is eternally capitalistic in the system, but there should be no place for oligarchy and cronyism. They will destroy the fundamental values of freedom and democratic accountability,” he added.
