Anwar urges ministers, senior govt leaders to engage public

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged all ministers, senior federal and state government officials, and policy and project implementers to frequently engage with the public to understand better the issues the people face.

The premier said MPs should also adopt this approach to address local concerns more effectively and comprehensively.

“Even senior civil servants are requested to go to the ground, which is why we have initiatives like Sejati Madani and Kampung Angkat Madani. These enable senior officials, including ministers, to identify any disconnect between policy statements and their implementation at the grassroots level.

“When we engage at the ground level, we discuss issues like education, unemployment, drug abuse, healthcare facilities and economic projects. All these must be addressed thoroughly because the challenges reported may differ between federal and state levels,” he said.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said this at the closing of the Perak-level Madani Rakyat Programme (PMR) 2025 held at Lumut Waterfront today.

Anwar stressed the importance of directly listening to the people’s grievances through initiatives like the Madani Rakyat programme or dialogue sessions between leaders and the public to gather feedback on areas needing improvement in development projects.

Grassroots engagement

Citing examples, Anwar said he learned about issues such as damaged toilets in many schools and limited internet access in higher education institutions through interactions with the public during community engagement programmes at eateries or Friday prayers.

He said such grassroots engagement allows the government to act swiftly to address these problems.

“We talk about artificial intelligence, digitalisation, Microsoft and so on, but we still have broken toilets and no internet access. This is a major contradiction because while we want to prepare for an advanced future, basic infrastructure must be resolved first,” he said.

Perak Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad and Higher Education Minister Zambry Abd Kadir, representing the lead ministry, were also present at the closing ceremony.

Others in attendance included Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, and senior federal and state officials.

The three-day programme marked the second large-scale edition, held through strategic collaboration between the Performance Acceleration and Coordination Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department, the lead secretariat, and the Higher Education Ministry, the main implementing agency.

The programme is held on large and small scales, with the first large-scale edition held in Tawau, Sabah, from May 9 to 11.

- Bernama

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