“I think Anwar and his party PKR have tremendous political capital to spend now. Some of it should be used in social reforms that may be unpopular,” he said at a discussion today on Myanmar refugees.

Shahril said Anwar could exhibit moral leadership “with his superior oratorical skills and understanding of universal justice” for the benefit of underprivileged communities in Malaysia, “including refugees, who are dealt a rough hand in life”.

He said Anwar’s government now has a comfortable majority in Parliament and Anwar should not wait for the perfect moment to initiate meaningful changes.

“Otherwise next election, there will be another set of reasons for why it’s not the time to change yet,” he added.

He said moral leadership from politicians was needed to change the public’s negative sentiments towards the refugee communities.

Shahril said he was not only referring to the antagonistic comments on social media towards the Palestinians who caused a scuffle at Wisma Transit lately but also discrimination against refugees and migrant workers, especially Myanmar nationals.

Anwar has been vocal against the military junta in Myanmar and has urged Asean members to be more active in dealing with the Myanmar crisis.

However, the prime minister has yet to speak up publicly regarding hate speeches against refugees, or deal with refugees’ calls for equal access to jobs, healthcare, and education.

Shahril spoke to FMT after taking part at the roundtable discussion organised by Dari Dapur and the Coalition of Burma Ethnics Malaysia.