Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has pledged to reform the country's economy and governance though these"will take time", as he blames the systemic corruption and the public cynicism towards political leaders on previous administrations for enriching themselves and living"exorbitant lifestyles".
"It will take time, because the cynicism is due to the failure of political leaders in the past to prove that leadership must be accountable, and corruption cannot be deemed to be systemic, which is the case in Malaysia," he said in the interview before he gave a speech at the Milken Institute's Asia Summit.
Mr Anwar said on Wednesday that the Attorney General had the"sole discretion" to make this decision, and that he had been"tough" with the AG to ensure that this decision could be explained to the court. Mr Anwar reiterated that the decision was for Mr Idrus to make, and that in the bigger picture, he had inherited a system that was"quite rotten" with corruption.
Mr Anwar said the previous government had made a commitment to separate the Attorney General's Chambers and the Public Prosecutor's Office,"but nothing was done", while his administration has started working on a draft Bill to achieve this. "And you can't expect people to trust you, because the moment you are prime minister, you must be very rich, with your exorbitant and flamboyant lifestyles. But this has to change," the premier told CNA's Melissa Goh and Afifah Ariffin in the interview.
Mr Anwar believes this has been proven by the results of two by-elections held in Johor on Saturday, when his Pakatan Harapan ruling coalition retained both a parliamentary and state seat. Mr Anwar also called for clear industry transformation plans that are mission-based with the ability to propel the industry and the economy.