PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said respect for the Federal Constitution and the decision of the King of Malaysia in former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s case did not prevent him from giving views and advice based on the law and jurisprudence.
Anwar said the Government’s position remained that corruption and the taking of national wealth for personal gain could not be tolerated.
“When we discuss the controversy surrounding Najib’s case, I abide by the spirit of the Constitution (Federal Constitution), but it does not prevent, for example, a prime minister from giving views and advice based on jurisprudence and the law.
“What do we want to convey? This country cannot tolerate corruption and the practice of plundering national wealth,” he said at the 3 Generations Appreciation Dinner: Continuing the Legacy of Struggle in Bangi on Saturday.
Anwar also referred to controversies involving institutions including Lembaga Tabung Haji, the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), saying those who had taken the country’s wealth must answer for their actions.
“Tabung Haji, Felda, 1MDB, people who plundered wealth must answer for it. So whatever the decision, it should not deviate from saving our country,” he said.
Najib, 73, has been serving his prison sentence at Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022, after being convicted of misappropriating RM42 million belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd.
On Sept 18, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, granted Najib a conditional pardon in relation to his prison sentence, allowing him to serve the remainder of the sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to a RM50 million fine and compliance with prescribed conditions.
Earlier, the Prime Minister said the Government is finalising a review of Malaysia’s RM1,700 minimum wage, with him indicating that a higher rate will be announced when Budget 2027 is tabled on Oct 9.
Anwar said the study on adjusting the minimum wage was at the final stage before being brought to the Dewan Rakyat, adding that the review was necessary to address Malaysia’s wage disparity, particularly for graduates entering the workforce, while ensuring workers benefit more directly from rising productivity.
“The problem is that we have raised it from RM1,200 to RM1,500 and now RM1,700, which is the minimum for the private sector. Wages in Malaysia, productivity has increased but wages have increased very little. We are using the Government’s authority to apply some pressure.
“Since I became Prime Minister, I have changed that focus. Sometimes the chief executive officer (CEO) gets eight months’ bonus, while lower-level workers get two months.
“I disagree. I have broken that practice. If the bonus is three months, the CEO also gets three months, and the worker who collects rubbish gets the same. The CEO earns RM40,000 while the rubbish collector earns RM2,000, and on top of that their salaries are already different,” he said at a forum during the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Alumni Gathering in Bangi yesterday.
The issue was raised after UiTM Student Representative Council president Muhammad Adib Hazim Mohamad Razali asked about graduate employability and concerns that graduates could end up working in jobs below their academic qualifications.
Anwar said the RM3,100 minimum wage for government-linked companies (GLCs), introduced last year, should serve as a benchmark for private-sector employers.
He also criticised large companies that record high profits but do not correspondingly raise workers’ wages. - September 27, 2026
