Credit : Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's X
MELAKA, November 5, 2026 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says Malaysia’s education system must dare to explore new frontiers of knowledge and technology without abandoning culture, values, manners and humanity, as he presented the Prime Minister’s Golden Hand Awards at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka.
In a post shared on X on Thursday, Anwar summed up the philosophy as “reaching for the sky, rooted in the earth”. He said that while completing the Anugerah Tangan Emas Perdana Menteri (MATEPM) 2026 at UTeM, he stressed that mastery of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and advanced technical skills was a demand of the times.
Citing figures in his own remarks, he said large investments such as RM61 billion by Google, and the need for thousands of skilled workers in high-technology industries, showed how urgently education institutions and TVET must strengthen training, specialisation and skills so that young people keep pace with industry needs.
Drawing on Spanish thinker José Ortega y Gasset’s The Revolt of the Masses, Anwar warned that intelligence and specialised knowledge should not produce people who lose sensitivity to values and humanity — what Ortega called the “barbarism of specialisation”. “Education must also strike the conscience, cultivate character and form people who respect the dignity of fellow human beings, regardless of race, religion or status,” he wrote.
TVET talents recognised
According to Utusan Malaysia, two TVET talents received the top Golden Hand awards at the ceremony: instructor Mohd Raimi Masrom of ADTEC Taiping in mechatronics, and trainee Arissa Nabiha Nor Hisham of GiatMARA Jengka in automotive painting. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said 1,787 participants entered the preliminary stage before 493 contested the finals across 58 skills fields.
Anwar said the nation’s big ambition was to leave the young a Malaysia that is advanced and competitive, with mastery of the latest technology, quality jobs and more dignified wages, while remaining firmly rooted in values, principles and humanity. The post was tagged #MalaysiaMADANI and #YakinMADANI.
Source: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on X, with additional reporting from the Prime Minister’s Office and Utusan Malaysia.
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