KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on Malaysians to let the light of Deepavali symbolise a collective stand against corruption, greed and division, saying that the festival’s true meaning lies in illuminating truth, justice and good governance.
“Every year, we celebrate the Festival of Lights, yet some remain in darkness. Light represents truth, justice and goodness. To reject darkness is to reject corruption. That is the true meaning of Deepavali.”
Speaking at the Madani Deepavali Open House themed Cahaya Madani, Sinar Perpaduan held at KL Sentral yesterday, Anwar said Malaysia’s multiracial harmony must be safeguarded from those exploiting race and religion for political gain.
“We often take our harmony for granted, but outsiders see how extraordinary it really is.
“Our parents saw Hari Raya, Deepavali, Chinese New Year and Christmas as part of our shared culture. In celebrating them, we lose nothing. We gain unity.”
Anwar warned that divisive politics is threatening national stability and is increasingly visible, even in parliamentary debates.
“From the kampung to the city and even in Parliament, certain divisive issues are raised. If allocations to Penang are slightly higher because its majority is non-Malay, they attack immediately.
“But when Kelantan or Terengganu get similar funds, no one says a word.”
He said democracy has no meaning if voters continue to be misled by those who misuse on racial and religious sentiments.
“The pull of racial sentiment is often stronger than reason.”
On governance, Anwar said reform requires perseverance and integrity to rebuild public trust.
“For decades, money was plundered and stolen. Corruption was rampant. Now, we have proven that in just over two years, we could recover RM15.5 billion that was misused.
“That money was meant for the people, not politicians with houses in London and Australia,” he said to applause.
Taking aim at the Opposition, Anwar said it is ironic that those responsible for past mismanagement now portray themselves as champions of integrity.
“The Opposition likes to talk about good governance but it’s laughable when those who caused the mess now claim to be the guardians of reform.”
On education, Anwar said increasing university placements is part of government efforts to address long-standing concerns about admission opportunities for Indian students.
“I agree with what our colleagues in the Unity government have done. Let us find a resolution to this ongoing problem for the last two decades, namely the anxiety of bright Indian students who cannot secure university placements.”
He added that the government had approved 1,500 new matriculation and STPM placements without reducing existing Malay quotas.
“And that’s why in my Budget speech, I also mentioned STPM, because STPM has now become a stream attracting Malay, Indian and Chinese students alike. So, we must give top-performing STPM students a chance to enter university, with 1,500 new places in fields such as accountancy, engineering, medicine, digital and language studies.”
