State governments must focus on key public issues, says Anwar

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim called on all state governments to prioritise resolving public issues while also focusing on infrastructure development.

Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said priority should be given to addressing hardcore poverty, flood issues and housing problems to better serve the people.

"If you ask me what should be prioritised besides infrastructure, I’d say resolving hardcore poverty and flood issues.

"We can’t keep experiencing floods every year. The country has been independent for nearly 70 years, yet floods persist annually without bold and swift measures to address them," he said at the Penang State-Level MADANI Iftar Ceremony at Masjid Abu Ubaidah Ibni Al-Jarrah, Bandar Tasek Mutiara last night as reported by Bernama.

At the same time, Anwar expressed his appreciation to the Penang state government for its efforts in developing the Bakat Baru MADANI Affordable Housing (RMM) project, the state’s largest housing initiative, set to be launched this year.

The project, comprising 35,000 housing units with a gross development value (GDV) of RM13 billion, will feature facilities such as a swimming pool, gymnasium, multipurpose hall and playground.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nibong Tebal, were among 1,500 people who attended the MADANI Iftar event.

Anwar also expressed hope that parents would cooperate and support the government’s decision to implement changes in the national education system.

This includes the proposal for 70 per cent of students in fully residential schools to opt for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) stream starting next year to strengthen expertise in these fields.

The Prime Minister said that although the change may not be well received by many, including parents, it is necessary to meet industry demands for skilled workers, particularly in high-tech sectors.

“If appeals or objections are made, we will not entertain them because the country will lose out. We are bringing in companies like Infineon, NVIDIA, Arm Limited, Microsoft and Google, but we have a limited number of trained talents,” he said. - March 19, 2025