He said the government is resolute and will not tolerate those who siphoned off billions of ringgit from its coffers, whether it occurred in the past or recently, Bernama reported.

He said his firm stance against corruption and abuse of power is still being criticised by some quarters.

“How unfortunate.

“Yes, they have contributed to the country. But everyone contributes, from the village head, the penghulu, to the imam. Does that give them the right to steal?

“Can an imam steal from the mosque because of his contributions? And for a minister – just because of his contributions, does that justify stealing?” the prime minister said without elaborating.

Anwar, who just returned from official visits to Pakistan and Bangladesh, said this during a talk on the topic “Za’ba Seabad Pemikir Kemiskinan”, after launching the National Academic Day at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Tanjung Malim today.

Also present were Perak menteri besar Saarani Mohamad, higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir, and science, technology and innovation minister Chang Lih Kang.

The prime minister also presented a posthumous award, the “Anugerah Akademia Negara Sepanjang Zaman”, to well-known writer Zainal Abidin Ahmad (Za’ba).

The award was received by Za’ba’s granddaughter, Sharzede Salleh Askor, who is the Sarawak Tourism Board CEO.