Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim delivered a keynote address at the Madani Harmony Discourse and Wesak Day National Conference today, urging Malaysians to reject hate narratives spread by a small vocal minority and embrace unity in diversity [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. He described the present climate as a "tyranny of the minority," where small groups sow fear, hatred, and manipulate racial sentiments to impose their will on the majority. "Now, it is the noisy minority — angry, cruel, stirring up emotions. They gather, sow hatred, spread slander and instil fear in others. This seems like a tyranny of the minority," Anwar said [1].
The prime minister emphasized Malaysia's strength comes from mutual respect and shared values founded by early leaders like Tunku Abdul Rahman. He called on the nation's peace-loving majority to speak up and reclaim the national conversation with conscience and compassion. "It is time for Malaysians to decide. Enough with politics built on hatred and discord. Let the majority say enough and move forward wisely and compassionately so that we improve the lives of all Malaysians," he said [1, 2, 3, 4, 6].
Anwar also linked Buddhist values such as moral conduct, compassion, and wisdom with Islamic teachings to highlight shared ethical principles among Malaysians. The conference saw Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Minister Hannah Yeoh in attendance. Loke confirmed the government co-organised the event and approved RM2.5 million in funding for Buddhist grassroots activities, distributing token grants of RM2,000 per organisation for local initiatives [1, 5].
Following a Khazanah Research Institute report that found widespread but underutilized microloan facilities among small traders, Anwar convened a meeting two weeks ago with micro-credit agencies to address accessibility issues [7]. Today, he visited the Taman Melawati farmers' market, where microcredit agencies set up booths to engage directly with hawkers and small traders [8, 9, 7, 10]. When speaking to small traders, Anwar noted their gratitude for government assistance. "The ones who complain the loudest are politicians who have already slipped up. When I ask the small traders, they say Alhamdulillah," he said, contrasting grateful traders with vocal politicians [8, 10].
Repayment rates under the Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia scheme approach nearly 100% for women and around 95% for men, showing lending problems ease when information reaches borrowers effectively [7].
Anwar condemned divisive political rhetoric exploiting race and religion, calling it rooted in ignorance and emotional manipulation rather than true understanding. "Let us not allow the ‘tyranny of the minority’ or small groups that enjoy manipulating racial sentiments and spreading slander to destroy Malaysia’s future," he said [3, 4, 5, 6].
The prime minister urged Malaysians to restore unity, compassion, and ethics to national discourse, reflecting the values embedded in the Malaysia MADANI framework which balances morality alongside economic progress [1, 3, 4, 6]. The government will continue supporting religious harmony events and community development aimed at fostering shared values.
Anwar's visit to Taman Melawati to interact with small traders and microcredit providers marks a concrete step in addressing economic inclusion after recent research highlighted lending gaps [8, 9, 7, 10].
