Anwar: Development must not come at cost of people's welfare

New Straits Times

27-07-2025

MUAR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has stressed that Malaysia's development must not come at the cost of people's rights and welfare, but instead be implemented based on the principles of justice and holistic balance.
He said that sustainable economic development should not be carried out by marginalising the lower-income group, but instead provide equal benefits to all segments of society.
"Let's not develop while destructing. We construct buildings, industries, technologies, economic zones… but the people are oppressed, neglected.
"This is not true development," he said during the launch of the National Month and Fly the Jalur Gemilang 2025 Campaign at Dataran Tanjung Emas here today.
Also present were Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, and Information Department director-general Julina Johan.
Elaborating, Anwar said the principle of balance, or ummatan wasatan, which is stressed in the Quran, encompasses justice from the perspective of faith and knowledge, spiritual and physical, as well as worldly and the hereafter.
The prime minister also stressed the importance of a fair fiscal policy, including the implementation of progressive taxation that targets high-income earners and huge profit-making corporations, rather than burdening the poor.
"We cannot tax the poor.
"If schools need to be repaired, where must the money come from? We impose taxes on the rich and companies making millions in profits," he said.
He cited major companies like Petronas, Tenaga Nasional Bhd and Maybank as examples that need to streamline their minimum wage policies with the profits they earn.
"If a company makes RM1 million profit, but pays its workers RM1,500… how can? We have already raised the minimum wage from RM1,200 to RM1,500, and now to RM1,700. We will continue to do so gradually," he said.
Anwar also said that independence is not merely a historical symbol, but it also comes with the responsibility to ensure the nation's wealth is distributed fairly and does not only benefit the elite.