Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged Gen Z Malaysians to build a stronger sense of public responsibility, telling them to reject wrongdoing and serve the people as they move towards future leadership roles.
Academic results alone do not guarantee integrity, he said, pointing to scandals involving 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), Felda and Tabung Haji. “Most of those involved are not from among the uneducated. Almost all of them are graduates. Some have master’s degrees and PhDs. So education and knowledge alone do not guarantee noble character,” Anwar said at the National Student Icon Award 2026 at the Putrajaya Marriott Hotel on 1 October, NST reported.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and his deputy, Adam Adli, were also at the ceremony. A degree or a doctorate will not stop a person abusing authority once they hold it, so undergraduates must develop good character alongside their qualifications, according to FMT.
“There must be a new spirit among Gen Z, a high level of awareness, and I believe an interest in serving and defending the people, embracing what is good and rejecting decay,” he said.
The younger generation should not be judged on academic results alone, but on whether they are willing to bring about meaningful change. Student leaders need more than good grades, he added. They also need determination, a fighting spirit and a desire to bring change, while education itself must be anchored in faith, morality, character and a strong sense of identity.
“If education does not train us, if after three or four years at university there is no awareness to defend the plight of the people, no awareness to correct weaknesses, damage and decay in the system, then the system is not assured,” he said. “This is a reminder to all of us.”
Anwar also told students to use their time in higher education to understand poverty, ethnic disparities and the problems faced by lower-income households. The desire to defend the rights of others and to reject corruption, he said, has to be cultivated from a young age rather than left to develop on its own.
The three cases he named are familiar to Malaysians. 1MDB was a state investment fund, Felda is the federal land settlement scheme, and Tabung Haji is the pilgrims’ fund that manages savings for the haj. Anwar’s argument was that formal schooling alone never protected the people caught up in any of them.
