15/06/2026

READ OUR

HERE

MONDAY | JUNE 15, 2026

2

Malaysian Paper

/thesun

Governance, accountability key to economic development: PM

Work together for peace, unity and stability, says minister TAIPING: Malaysians from all backgrounds must remain united and work together to ensure peace, stability and prosperity for the nation, just as every instrument in an orchestra must play in harmony to create beautiful music, said Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming. Speaking at the official opening ceremony of the Taiping International Youth Marching Band Festival 2026 yesterday, Nga said music, with various beats and rhythms, serves as a powerful reminder that diversity is not a weakness but a strength, when guided by mutual respect, understanding and a shared purpose. He added that in a country blessed with rich diversity, Malaysians must always respect and understand one another’s differences, as turning against ourselves would not help the country prosper but would cause more damage and instability. “As the nation moves closer to the election season, Malaysians must not allow differences in political views to divide society but must uphold the spirit of maturity, respect and unity, just as musicians playing different instruments remain focused on producing one harmonious performance for the benefit of all.” Nga said Malaysia has been selected by the Global Peace Index as one of the top 12 most peaceful countries in the world, which is an achievement that shall be cherished by all Malaysians under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership. On the festival, Nga said the gathering of youth marching bands from Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Hong Kong demonstrates how people from different cultures and nationalities could come together in harmony despite having different backgrounds. He said music transcends barriers of race, religion, language and nationality, making it a universal language that fosters friendship, inspires hope and strengthens bonds between communities across borders. “A world-class city must not be measured by economic development per se. Music, culture and art must be crucial components in creating such a world-class environment.” Nga also commended the organisers, educators, volunteers, sponsors and community partners whose dedication and collaboration transformed the music festival into a successful international event that showcases Taiping’s heritage and Malaysia’s cultural richness to the world. Expressing hope that the friendships forged during the festival would endure beyond the final performance, Nga called on all Malaysians to embrace the values embodied by music, which are respect, discipline, understanding and unity as the foundation for a stronger and more harmonious nation. – Bernama

greater responsibility in shaping national development outcomes. Anwar stressed that Malaysia’s development agenda must be grounded in social justice, equality and inclusivity, with every decision taking into account both growth and fair distribution. “Every step, every decision must consider the majority of the people, how to generate growth and how to distribute it. That is a necessity.” He added that without this balance, development would fail to reflect the true meaning of independence and democracy. He also referenced political philosopher John Rawls, pointing out that justice is about fairness rather than identical treatment. Anwar said equal allocations in unequal contexts do not produce real justice. “If a rural school requires more support, it would not be fair to allocate the same amount as a school that is already well-resourced. “That is why justice is understood as social democracy, fairness and compassion.” He said social democracy and cooperative economics are built on the principle of “justice as fairness”, combining equality with contextual support. He added that such institutions help to widen participation in economic activity while reducing inequality through collective ownership and shared benefits. Anwar said governance remains the key determinant of success or failure and even well-resourced institutions could collapse if corruption persists or oversight is weak. “In the country, we may have strong revenues and resources, but if we allow a small group to steal at will, we cannot distribute the wealth fairly.” He expressed hope that successful organisations such as Koprojaya would serve as models for others, with their governance frameworks studied and replicated to strengthen the wider movement. approved first to ensure that they could continue their studies, before being considered for the scholarship. Alin Nairien Wong Mohd Allif Wong, 20, and Muhammad Amar Khoo Arif Khoo, 21, the recipients of the scholarship, said it would ease the financial burden of their families and help them focus on their studies. Alin Nairien, from Tanjung Sedili near Kota Tinggi and a Diploma in Event Management student at Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan, said she relies on the income of her mother and eldest brother, following her father’s death in 2019. Muhammad Amar, a Cyber Security degree student at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, said the scholarship would help reduce the financial burden on his father.

and the distribution of power in government are important, even if some take them lightly. “If not corrected, even large amounts of funds will not benefit the public but only a small group,” he said at the 10th AGM of Koperasi Professional Putrajaya Berhad (Koprojaya) in Putrajaya yesterday. Anwar said governance standards must be upheld across all institutions to ensure that profits and wealth are distributed fairly among members and the wider community. He said this principle aligns with the values of justice and compassion which underpin the government’s Madani framework. He urged young civil servants and public officials to move beyond routine administrative roles and take

o Issues such as corruption, misuse of power and weak management must not be taken lightly if financial gains are to reach wider population, says Anwar

Ű BY HARITH KAMAL newsdesk@thesundaily.com

He well-managed organisations consistently perform better, adding that issues such as corruption, misuse of power and weak governance must not be taken lightly if economic gains are to reach the wider population. He also said if cooperatives in the country are managed well, their performance would be good. “That is why issues like corruption said

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called for governance and accountability to remain central to Malaysia’s broader economic development, stressing that strong management is essential for ensuring that benefits are shared more widely with the public.

Anwar visiting a stall set up in Dewan Damar Sari, Kompleks F in conjunction with the event held in Putrajaya yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC RM210m eKasih scholarship to benefit 10,000 students KULAI: The National Higher

RM8.79 million in allocations since its introduction this year. The scholarship is open to Malaysian students aged 25 and below who are enrolled in National Higher Education Fund Corporation registered courses, have an active Simpan SSPN account, no outstanding loan arrears and at least one semester remaining in their studies. Recipients will receive RM4,750 annually for diploma studies, RM6,180 for bachelor’s degree (Arts) programmes and RM6,650 for bachelor’s degree (Science) programmes, Bernama reported. Norliza said students must first apply for a loan through the myPTPTN app. She also said the loan would be

said after presenting the scholarship to two recipients in Johor on Saturday. Also present were the corporation’s chairman Datuk Seri Norliza Abdul Rahim, CEO Ahmad Dasuki Abdul Majid and its Johor office director Mazni Ruslan. Zambry said eligible recipients must be registered in the eKasih database and enrolled full-time in diploma or bachelor’s degree programmes at public higher education institutions from Jan 1. He urged the public and public higher education institutions to inform the corporation of students who may qualify for the scholarship. Norliza said as of May 31, the scholarship had benefitted 402 students nationwide, involving

Education Fund Corporation has allocated RM210 million under its eKasih Children’s Scholarship, benefitting 10,000 students from poor and hardcore poverty families this year. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the allocation is a significant increase from the RM120 million announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim under Budget 2026 last October, which was expected to benefit 5,800 recipients. “In the latest announcement under the Malaysia Higher Education Plan 2026-2035, the number of beneficiaries of this free education initiative has been increased to 10,000 from low-income families,” he