PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today highlighted the ongoing efforts to hold certain influential figures accountable for corruption.
He said it was common knowledge that some individuals had remained untouched over the years as they were deemed "too powerful."
"We have to give clear signal that no one is above the law.
"Don't play around with issue of corruption, you can use Islam, Malay, you can be a Tun or Tan Sri, but we will act."
Anwar said this during a "no holds barred" dialogue with senior editors from the country's electronic, print and online media.
The session, held at the Kompleks Seri Perdana here, featured journalists from various publications nationwide including Sabah and Sarawak.
For more than an hour, Anwar fielded a host of hard-hitting questions, ranging from the country's economics projection for next year, the unity government's relations with Umno heading into the 16th General Election, his relationship with the incoming agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and others.
Meanwhile, Anwar also spoke of his relationship with the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and his close ties with the next King, Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
He said the Malay rulers act as the umbrella of the country's unity and administration, and as such, it was vital that the prime minister enjoys a good rapport with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"I'm grateful that I have a good relation with Al-Sultan Abdullah and hope that it will continue with incoming Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
"The relationship between prime minister and the King must be good as this will help in governance.
"The Sultan of Johor had already said that he would discuss matters with the prime minister to effect change."
Anwar said he had been in constant contact with Sultan Ibrahim, including through WhatsApp messages, phone calls and was granted audience by the ruler even before he became the prime minister.
He said Sultan Ibrahim had expressed concern over widespread corruption in the country, which Anwar agreed and described as a systemic problem.