REMBAU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has denied issuing instructions to any enforcement agencies to arrest specific individuals or search their homes for further action.
He said he has never done so, but instead only issued general instructions to enforcement agencies such as the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.
He said these instructions were issued for the sake of saving the country and ensure that corruption and abuse of power are stamped out.
"I've never issued any directive to arrest person A or search the home of person B. My instructions were general, that in order to save the country, we have to find the 'sharks' as a lesson so that these (abuse of power and corruption) do not happen again.
"It's not enough that we arrest only sergeants and lower-ranked people because this will not serve as a lesson. Those are theatrics.
"If we truly demonstrate our determination, I believe the country can be saved," he said.
He was speaking while officiating the Program Penggerak Madani Negri Sembilan at Kem Wawasan Negara Ulu Sepri, here this evening.
Also present were Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun; state secretary Datuk Mohd Zafir Ibrahim and state executive councillors.
Anwar said the government will not allow power to be used as an opportunity to plunder or enrich certain personalities.
"We have to emphasis that those in power must shoulder the trust. The measure of a prime minister of finance minister's success isn't by how much many billions they have swindled.
"This is clear. Throughout the year that I have led (the unity government), never once has this been questioned (among the leaders).
"What the IRB decided, what the MACC decided, whatever charges the attorney general made or whatever the courts ruled, has never been questioned among the leadership," he said.
Anwar called on the country's leaders and administration to practice good governance by rejecting all forms of corruption.
"No country is safe if this (corruption) persists. As such, we have to start with good governance, with the spirit of combating corruption.
"I am grateful that between the leaders of these political parties, be they PH, Umno-BN, GPS and others, none of they have questioned this to this day."