Anwar said this effort was meant to enlighten rather than coerce, and to emphasise respect for the country’s diverse cultural and religious landscape.

“As a free and democratic country, some say this is Anwar’s attempt to Islamise (the country).

“That’s a rather cynical view. I won’t deny that there is indeed an attempt to give a better understanding of Islam.

“But there is no attempt at all to force people to accept Islam,” he said in a speech at the Madani civil service colloquium here.

Anwar also gave his assurance that he is open to amending his Madani principles should they conflict with the country’s core values, but he said that, up to now, this has not been the case.

This is not the first time Anwar defended his administration against claims of trying to Islamise Malaysia.

In June, Anwar dismissed assertions from some quarters saying that he was pushing Islamic principles too far in his government by seeking to enhance the scope of the Islamic development department (Jakim).

Anwar also said it is important to view religion, especially Islam, and the roles of those from different races without the influence of preconceived biases or prejudices.

Separately, he lamented Malaysia’s stagnant ranking in the Sustainable Economic Development Assessment in the past 20 years, unlike Vietnam and Indonesia which had improved by leaps and bounds.

“This situation leads me to question the underlying issues within our society,” he said, adding that corruption was a main factor.

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