JOHOR BARU: Anti-corruption efforts must be fair and consistent, with no government agency or institution used as a political weapon.
Responding to a student's question about corruption allegations involving political figures and how young leaders should speak out against corruption, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the law must be enforced equally, regardless of political affiliation.
The Universiti Malaya student representative cited reports of a politician's son receiving RM4 million and the Tabung Haji scandal. She also questioned public donations to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, given his conviction in the 1MDB case.
She asked how young leaders could speak out against corruption and feudalism while promoting critical thinking and evidence-based arguments.
Onn Hafiz described recent developments as "political persecution" and "selective persecution", saying such practices were unfair.
"If you want to prosecute anyone, you must be fair and apply the law regardless of political parties. It must be consistent.
"In my opinion, what has been happening these past few months is political persecution. It is selective persecution, and I think that is not fair," he said.
He was speaking at a forum during the International Young Future Leaders Summit (iFUTURE) 2026 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
Onn Hafiz cautioned against using government agencies for political gain, saying public institutions must remain independent of partisan interests.
"No institution, no government agency should be used or weaponised for anyone's political benefit," he said.
He also said that integrity was fundamental to leadership, warning that corruption and abuse of power amounted to a betrayal of public trust.
"As a Muslim leader, if you betray that trust, whether through corruption or abuse of power, you might not answer today, but as a Muslim, I believe you will be answerable to Allah in the future," he said.
He urged future leaders to uphold integrity and the trust placed in them to build a better Malaysia.
The third edition of iFUTURE, held from Oct 11 to 13, carried the theme "Redefining Future Leaders Through Value-Based Leadership".
The summit brought together 1,231 student leaders from 20 Malaysian public universities and 30 international universities, including 406 international participants from 53 countries and 310 Johorean university students.
Organised by the Higher Education Ministry through the Department of Higher Education, the summit provided a platform for dialogue between student leaders and figures from government, industry and academia.
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