Treasury secretary-general Irwan Serigar Abdullah did not say that laziness caused Malaysians to end up in poverty, said the Finance Ministry (MOF).

"He never made the statement that poverty in Malaysia was caused by laziness.

"On the contrary, he stressed to the participants of 1MET (1Malaysia Entrepreneurship) to adopt a positive attitude so that they can improve and be resilient in business," the ministry said in a parliamentary reply today.

"They were also urged to grab the numerous business opportunities in the country," it added, responding to Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Gelang Patah) who asked about Irwan's remark...