Corruption: Shark jailed, only a few ‘ikan bilis’ left to catch - Anwar

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in his effort to strengthen his promise to fully wipe corruption off the country’s book, said that even though the shark has been jailed, there are a few “ikan bilis” left to catch.

On RTM’s ‘Naratif Khas’ last night, Anwar said his fight against corruption has been going strong for nearly 30 years and that his spirits were never dampened even after he became prime minister.

“We’ve caught the shark, but now we have the ‘ikan bilis’ left and this country has been heavily damaged by corrupt individuals who bribe and steal money from the people.

“Their actions have affected the country’s economy and development. I will never back down,” said the prime minister.

He cited that corruption has been plaguing many factors such as flood recovery plans, housing and public developments, and even educational institutions.

He also said that while it’s good that the new government has been actively speaking out against corruption, he urged the ministers to also take immediate action against the perpetrators.

“It doesn’t matter if religion or race is in the mix, I will not tolerate any form of corruption because corruption is corruption no matter what,” he added.

Anwar also touched on the topic of the new judiciary system where he said he trusts the new members of the system to do their work diligently and honestly. He gave his assurance that he will not meddle with their responsibilities unless it is necessary.

“I am aware that in the past, we had issues with executive members with a conflict of interests so I will keep a keen eye on them but for now, I have no place to meddle with them.

“Changes have been made so I’ll give them space to do their jobs,” he said.

On Aug 23, 2022, former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, the most controversial name in Malaysia’s biggest corruption case 1MDB, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and an RM210 million fine in default of another five years imprisonment.

This was in relation to the seven criminal charges related to SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Similarly, his wife Rosmah Mansor was convicted over three graft charges linked to the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project on Sept 1, 2022.

Rosmah was given a sentence of 10 years in prison and a record RM970 million fine by the Kuala Lumpur High Court. If the fine is not paid, she faces an extra 30 years in prison.

Other high-profile names that have ongoing court cases, albeit not related to 1MDB, are Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over Yayasan Akalbudi funds and DAP’s Lim Guan Eng for alleged bribery.

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