PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has stated unequivocally that he has no intention of stepping down, rejecting calls for his resignation unless there is proven wrongdoing on his part.
“Insya-Allah, I will not step down,” he told an audience in Penang on Saturday. “If I had stolen public funds and people demand my resignation, then fine. But I did not steal anyone’s money. I've been Prime Minister for nearly three years now, and I ask — where have we awarded projects through direct negotiation? All must go through the tender process.”
Anwar, who also serves as Finance Minister, said any change in leadership should be pursued through proper parliamentary processes.
“Use Parliament. Criticise if you must. If the opposition has the numbers, they can table a motion — that’s the proper way. Persuade any MP to support you. If I lose, I will step down gracefully. That’s the peaceful way,” he said.
He was speaking at the groundbreaking of the Teluk Kumbar MADANI Complex, a project under his government’s broader development strategy, alongside Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, and Penang Island City Council Mayor Datuk A. Rajendran.
Reaffirming the government’s focus, Anwar outlined ongoing efforts to ease the cost of living and uplift lower-income communities, including raising the minimum wage, improving support for rice farmers, expanding TVET training, boosting affordable housing for the B40 group, and increasing civil service salaries.
He acknowledged that not all challenges could be resolved in the span of a single term but maintained that his administration remains committed to long-term reform and national progress.
During the visit, he also announced an additional RM5 million in development funding for Penang’s Barat Daya district.
Following his official engagements, the Prime Minister made a brief personal visit to his childhood home in Cherok Tok Kun, Bukit Mertajam—a modest wooden house where he and his siblings were raised.
In a reflective post on Facebook, he wrote: “This house was small and modest, but it was here that love grew strong.”
Anwar reminisced about his early years with his siblings Idrus and Marzuki, recalling the shared struggles and the quiet resilience of their parents. “We played without fear, laughed and cried together, watching our parents toil tirelessly for the family’s future.”
“Every corner of this house holds a thousand stories,” he wrote. “Its floor is a witness to the small footsteps that have taken me this far.”
He described the home as the starting point of a lifelong journey rooted in justice, dignity, and compassion. “No matter how high I soar, Cherok Tok Kun remains my anchor.”
“This is my origin – Cherok Tok Kun, Bukit Mertajam. And every time I return, I am reminded that all I strive for today began in this house, with this family, with a sacred love that has never dimmed.” - July 20, 2025
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