VERBATIM TEXT FOR

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

YAB DATO’ SERI ANWAR BIN IBRAHIM

PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA

AT

FORUM EKONOMI MALAYSIA 2026 

5^th FEBRUARY 2026 (THURSDAY) | 2:30 PM

KUALA LUMPUR CONVENTION CENTRE

KUALA LUMPUR

 

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dan Salam Sejahtera,

 

Alhamdulillah,

Nahmaduhu Wa Nusalli Ala Rasoolihil Kareem,

Wa’ala alihi Wasahbihi Ajma’in.

 

Saudara Timbalan Perdana Menteri,

YAB Datuk Amar Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof;

 

Saudara Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg;

 

Menteri-menteri;

 

Menteri Ekonomi dan pasukan Kementerian Ekonomi; dan

 

Rakan-rakan yang saya muliakan.

 

1. Tentunya hari ini, kita mendengar tadi Tom Gruber, satu penekanan yang menuntut kita melakukan sesuatu lonjakkan. Dan saya tentunya bersama rakan-rakan berasa lega kerana kita di tapak yang sesuai dan wajar, mengerahkan seluruh kekuatan dalam negara kita untuk memusatkan perhatian ke arah pertumbuhan ekonomi yang lebih rancak tahap kepesatan dan kelajuan yang lebih menyakinkan. Dan sebab itu Forum Ekonomi Malaysia ini bagi saya satu ruang untuk kita bahas secara terbuka, kerana isu-isu ini bukan isu yang sudah ditanggapi sebelumnya, ini isu-isu yang berubah dengan pesat.

 

2. Dan saya lebih tertarik kerana bukan sahaja kehadiran rakan-rakan Menteri, tetapi juga dengan dukungan tokoh-tokoh seperti Premier Abang Johari yang merupakan satu lagi sosok yang agak ke depan dalam memaksa perubahan dan peningkatan dalam bidang teknologi baharu ini. Jadi, terima kasih.

 

3. Now, we have launched the 2nd Malaysia Economic Forum. I’m talking with the plan now. Now, this is not confined to merely an attempt to forecast policy instruments, but I need to also emphasize the importance of other than policy instruments to remind ourselves about responsibility. Responsibility to govern with integrity to ensure that economic progress carries and tangible meaning for the Rakyat.

 

4. Malaysia today stands on firmer ground. Our GDP is on track to grow by around 4.9 per cent in 2025, while inflation has been contained at 1.6 per cent. Investment confidence is returning. These are encouraging signs, reflecting disciplined fiscal management, and a renewed sense of seriousness in governance.

 

5. This progress did not come about by chance. It reflects a deliberate effort to restore trust in public finances, credibility in institutions, and integrity in the exercise of power. Confidence does not respond to slogans or short-term measures. It responds to consistency, to clarity of intent, and to the assurance that reform is sustained rather than episodic.

 

6. So let us be clear. Numbers alone do not define success. Markets may respond to data, but the Rakyat judge by experience. Growth must be felt in homes, in workplaces, and in the cost of living faced by ordinary families. Otherwise, it remains hollow.

 

7. One visible signal of renewed confidence is the strengthening of the ringgit. External factors do play a role, but currencies ultimately reflect trust. Trust in institutions in policy direction. Trust that a country is governed by discipline and purpose.

 

8. That trust is being rebuilt because this MADANI Government has taken a clear, principled, and uncompromising stand on governance.

 

9. There will be no tolerance for corruption. No exceptions for the well-connected. Without accountability, there can be no credibility. Without credibility, there can be no sustainable growth.

 

10. This is not a campaign for headlines, nor a passing phase. It is a recognition that lasting confidence depends on the certainty that the law applies equally to all. When enforcement is consistent, trust can be restored, and institutions regain their authority.

 

11. And yet, enforcement alone is not enough. That is precisely why institutional reform continues, without pause and without apology. We are strengthening institutions so that integrity does not depend on personalities, but on systems. Rules must outlast individuals. Reform must endure beyond political cycles.

 

12. These efforts are already bearing fruit. Thank you to the team. Investors are responding to consistency and predictability. They see firmer governance, clearer direction, and a country serious about long-term stability. This is reflected in their investment decisions, and in a reassessment of Malaysia’s economic risk.

 

13. With this foundation in place, confidence must translate into better lives. Cost-of-living pressures are real and felt daily by the Rakyat. This is why our economic strategy combines macroeconomic discipline with targeted support, to protect purchasing power and ensure that growth improves real living standards.

 

14. At its core, development is about expanding opportunity. It is not merely about raising output or improving statistics, but about enlarging what people can realistically aspire to live and achieve in their own lives. Growth becomes meaningful only when it opens doors to education, to decent work, to upward mobility, and to the ability to plan one’s future with confidence.

 

15. Economic reform earns legitimacy not when it looks impressive on paper, but when it widens opportunity, reduces exclusion, and strengthens the dignity of every citizen. Important reminder for Akmal and the team here.

 

16. Education remains central to this mission. It is the most powerful equaliser. With an allocation exceeding RM84 billion in Budget 2026, we are committing not just resources, but resolve, to reforms in education and training and promote flexibility, mobility, and lifelong learning, recognising that talent develops at different stages of life.

 

17. These reforms respond to a labour market already in transition, where skills must be renewed, careers evolve, and workers require support across different stages of life. Education today must equip Malaysians not only with knowledge, but with adaptability, resilience, and the confidence to navigate change.

 

18. Technology makes this urgency unmistakable. Artificial intelligence is reshaping work and industry. The question is not whether change will come, but whether we are prepared. Whether technology widens opportunity or deepens inequality depends on the choices we make now.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

19. Growth must also be broad-based. Concentration benefits no one in the long run. Regional development, support for small and medium enterprises, and higher-value tourism services are essential to building a resilient economy where progress is shared more widely.

 

20. At the same time, prosperity requires security in life’s essentials. Healthcare, housing, and preparation for an ageing society are not peripheral concerns. They go to the heart of dignity and social stability. A nation cannot thrive if its people live in fear of illness, insecurity, or neglect.

 

21. The same discipline and long-term thinking guide our approach to climate and industrial policy. Energy transition is no longer optional. It is a practical response to changing global markets and rising expectations. To succeed, investors require clear rules, exporters must adjust, and institutions must provide stability. As Parliament prepares to consider the Climate Change Bill, we will pursue this transition in a manner that is orderly, evidence-based, and firmly anchored in national interest.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

 

22. Sounded a bit too serious. Let me conclude. Over a thousand years ago, al-Farabi reminded us that leadership is a moral obligation: to create the conditions for human flourishing and to restore balance when it is lost. This MADANI Government takes that obligation seriously.

 

23. We will not retreat from reform. And we will not compromise on integrity.

 

24. If we stay the course, Insya-Allah, I am confident that Malaysia will continue on a positive growth trajectory, one that is resilient, inclusive, and governed with honour.

 

Terima kasih, Assalamualaikum.