‘Youth must step up'

The Star

18-05-2025

Inspiring future leaders: Anwar delivering his keynote address at the event. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
YOUTH empowerment through holistic education will be central to Malaysia's progress, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister emphasised the vital role of private universities in preparing youths to meet national challenges, especially in fields like digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and the energy transition.
'Why do we place such importance on the younger generation? Because the type of training, the expertise, the capacity to effect change, and the willingness to adopt new disciplines – we have to depend on you,' he told students.
'You can't expect people in my generation to be as fast, to assimilate and acquire knowledge and expertise at the same level, particularly in new sciences and disciplines.
'That's why Management and Science University (MSU) and many other premier institutions are considered by the government as part of our team – to provide opportunities and instil discipline and scholarship among students,' he said during his 'Temu Anwar IPTS' session with higher education students at MSU on May 5.
Anwar also said education should not be limited to personal gain – it must be grounded in ethics and a sense of national responsibility.
Malaysia's future, he reiterated, depends on a generation that combines technical skills with strong moral values and civic consciousness.
'The assimilation and acquisition of knowledge are critical for your future, your family, your society and your country.
'To acquire knowledge to be comfortable in life is not the end (goal). We want to acquire and assimilate knowledge to disseminate what is just and true,' he said.
Speaking to some 4,000 ­students, the event included an open Q&A session, where students posed questions to the Prime Minister on issues such as economic inequality, ­student involvement and ­government accountability.
One student proposed establishing forums to include youth input and participation in programmes tied to Malaysia's Asean chairmanship this year, as well as reinstating e-wallet aid to help offset rising living costs.
Anwar welcomed both suggestions, directing the Higher Education Ministry to enhance student engagement and expressing openness to expanding financial relief mechanisms.
'We'll consider the e-wallet idea. If we can add a little, maybe we can add more – for books, e-wallets, and so on,' he said.
Meanwhile, he also said the government would look into ensuring the prices for land transport are reasonable, and passengers are not charged exorbitant fares during festive periods – especially students studying and living within Peninsular Malaysia.
He was responding to a ­student who suggested that the government extend FLYSiswa – which offers subsidised flights – to cover land transport for ­students in Peninsular Malaysia.
Anwar said the FLYSiswa initiative – currently focused on Sabah and Sarawak due to high airfares, especially during festive seasons – could be expanded after discussions with Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
'Why do we give some ­preference to Sabah and Sarawak? It's expensive, particularly during festive periods. So we chose to support them – at least to ease part of their burden,' he said.
The FLYSiswa initiative was announced under Budget 2024, to assist underprivileged students flying domestically between Sabah, Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan in returning to their hometowns and get back to their varsities for a new semester.