PM Anwar calls on the people to focus on making Malaysia create history as a great nation

GEORGE TOWN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged the people to focus on big things that can help Malaysia make history and rise as a great country in the region.

He said the people should not be consumed by the incitement of certain parties which will certainly not benefit anyone, but will actually cause the country to regress.

“I believe Malaysia will make history and rise as a great country in the region, so we want to teach the people to focus on big things, not creating a big row over a tourism video that doesn’t have a picture of a mosque, and if it is so, give us suggestions (for) us to fix it.

“There are things that were brought up (to) sever ties between us and play on the sentiment of hatred against each other (and), so remember that rather than fighting over this issue, we can focus on the LRT (Light Rail Transit), the development of Penang,“ he said.

He said this when speaking at the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Penang Mutiara Line LRT Project at Bandar Sri Pinang LRT Station Site, here today.

The Prime Minister said the people should see the efforts being made by the government for their interests and benefits.

He said these included the construction of the Mutiara Line LRT, the expansion of the Penang International Airport (PIA), upgrading public transport in the Klang Valley and the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) in Johor.

Meanwhile, Anwar said the country is currently attracting the attention of world and regional leaders after starting to implement the MADANI Framework policy.

He said the visits of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and most recently, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to Malaysia proved that the country was on the right track.

Meanwhile, Anwar asked department heads not to just be implementers but to work together to assist the chief minister and ministers by providing arguments or suggestions to improve issues related to development.

Earlier, Anwar officiated the ground-breaking ceremony for the Mutiara Line LRT which was also attended by Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim and Chow.

The Mutiara Line LRT project covers 29.5 kilometre (km) with 21 stations at strategic locations, including a provisional station on Penang South Reclamation Island-A (PSR-A).

Expected to be operational in 2031, the Mutiara Line LRT will also see the extension of the terminus station from KOMTAR to Penang Sentral, improving connectivity for residents on both sides of the Penang Strait.