NIBONG TEBAL – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged all state governments to prioritise resolving public issues while continuing to focus on infrastructure development.
Anwar, who also serves as Finance Minister, emphasised the need to tackle hardcore poverty, flooding, and housing problems to better serve the people.
“If you ask me what should be prioritised besides infrastructure, I would say addressing hardcore poverty and flood issues.
“We cannot continue experiencing floods every year. Malaysia has been independent for nearly 70 years, yet floods persist annually without bold and decisive action to resolve them,” he said at the Penang State-Level Madani Iftar Ceremony at Masjid Abu Ubaidah Ibni Al-Jarrah, Bandar Tasek Mutiara, today.
At the same event, Anwar praised the Penang state government for its efforts in developing the Bakat Baru Madani Affordable Housing (RMM) project, the state’s largest housing initiative, which is set to be launched this year.
The project, comprising 35,000 housing units with a gross development value (GDV) of RM13 billion, will include facilities such as a swimming pool, gymnasium, multipurpose hall, and playground.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nibong Tebal, were among the 1,500 attendees at the Iftar event.
Anwar also urged parents to support the government’s decision to implement changes in the national education system, including a proposal requiring 70% of students in fully residential schools to pursue the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) stream from next year.
He acknowledged that the change might not be well received by some, including parents, but stressed its necessity to meet industry demands for skilled workers, particularly in high-tech sectors.
“If there are appeals or objections, we will not entertain them because the country cannot afford to fall behind. We are bringing in companies like Infineon, NVIDIA, Arm Limited, Microsoft, and Google, but we lack sufficient trained talent,” he said. — March 18, 2025