PM wants united civil service, cites how he mended rift with rivals

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today urged cabinet and civil servants to work as a team and put aside their differences.

At the monthly assembly of the Prime Minister's Department today, Anwar said the cabinet and the civil service have shown a lot of teamwork over the past few months, citing the management of foreign workers, flood response and the deployment of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) to Turkiye as examples.

"There is goodwill from the leadership and the civil servants, to take steps immediately and responsibly," he said at the gathering.

Anwar said that although his cabinet was diverse, they too could unite because they had a common goal driven by the Malaysia Madani concept.

"Personally, even though my team and colleagues are of different backgrounds and have a history of conflict and different ideas - especially with my deputy on the right - Alhamdulillah, there is no denying that there is a unity of thought and determination," he said.

Anwar was flanked by Deputy Prime Minister I Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on the right and Deputy Prime Minister II Fadillah Yusof on the left.

Zahid is the leader of BN and Umno - long-time rivals of PKR and Pakatan Harapan which Anwar leads.

He also called for the civil servants’ commitment and enthusiasm to implement changes to drive the country in a better direction.

“There are people who say I shouldn't mention old issues, but the country's image, the country's economy, wrongdoings that have happened cannot be denied and there must be new strength and determination from all,” he said.

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