{
  "id": 5916994,
  "title": "Anwar: Farmers bear brunt of poor governance, leakages",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/anwar-farmers-bear-brunt-of-poor-governance-leakages",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-06T05:31:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/09/1526830/anwar-farmers-bear-brunt-poor-governance-leakages"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim highlighted at the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition (MAHA) 2026 that poor governance, leakages, and corruption in agricultural agencies are harming farmers and paddy growers, rather than the intended beneficiaries. Anwar emphasized that while government spending and allocations could increase, if there are leaks, farmers and paddy growers are the ones who suffer. He pointed out that governance, corruption, and abuse of power are often seen as issues affecting only senior officials, but in reality, it's the people at the bottom who are the victims. Anwar stressed the importance of strengthening governance and preventing misuse of public funds. He used the example of Felda, stating that if plantations are managed well, settlers can benefit from the returns; however, poor management can leave them suffering. Anwar acknowledged that addressing these issues could be politically challenging and provoke controversy, but stressed that the government's responsibility to protect the people supersedes political popularity. He affirmed that the relevant enforcement and judicial authorities are tasked with investigating suspected wrongdoing, deciding on prosecutions, and imposing punishment. Anwar's role was to ensure the government operates within the law and curb corruption and abuse of power.",
  "summary": "SERDANG: Poor governance, leakages and corruption in agencies handling agriculture are hurting farmers, paddy growers and settlers rather than those responsible, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "More money for Agriculture Ministry? Anwar says maybe — if the books stay clean, so farmers won’t suffer",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/more-money-for-agriculture-ministry-anwar-says-maybe-if-the-books",
        "published": "2026-09-06T08:38:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}