Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has stressed that no one should be allowed to plunder the wealth of the people and the country, regardless of how much service they may have rendered over hundreds of years.
In a Facebook post, Anwar said tolerating corruption simply because of someone’s past contributions was completely against Islamic teachings.
He described such an attitude as tolerance for evil, warning that it was among the factors damaging the country.
“Tolerance for evil is what is destroying us. Those who hate and oppose corruption must speak out more loudly and send a clear message that the place for corrupt individuals is in prison,” he said.
In the same post, Anwar shared excerpts from his speech at the 14th MADANI Scholars Forum, where he highlighted the dangers of a permissive culture previously discussed by Indonesian thinker and former leader Mohammad Natsir.
Anwar recalled Natsir’s warning about a mindset in which wrongdoing was repeatedly excused, regardless of its scale.
“I always remind people of what Indonesian leader Mohammad Natsir once said about a culture of permissiveness. Everything is okay. A little damage, okay. Steal a little, okay. How much is a little? Billions, okay. This tolerance for evil is what destroys us,” he said.
