It’s Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s birthday today! He just turned 93 only and is still going strong. Everyone is in awe of what he has achieved and it is no surprise that Malaysia has been making headlines all across the world.
In other words, today is a pretty big day for our beloved Prime Minister, and you might be wondering what our humble, and not to mention adorable, PM wants for his birthday this year.
Well, he said today (July 10) that all he wants for his birthday is for the Press to help the government fight corruption.
“I wish the press will help us to overcome corruption. Thanks,” he said, according to NST.
What a selfless wish!
Source: Twitter
He was also asked if he had done enough to ensure his administration would be corruption-free, to which he replied with a tongue-in-cheek manner that he would only know if anyone had broken the law.
He added that his government and members of the parliament must set good examples to fight against corruption.
“Otherwise, it will be difficult for them to advise others not to practise corruption and to say no to corruption.”
Among many other efforts by the government, Dr Mahathir plans to eliminate corruption by strengthening the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and by ensuring that no one – including the prime minister and deputy prime minster – is above the law.
Source: Hype
Regarding matters on reducing graft among public officials, he said he knows they are being paid salary at the lower scale, and jokingly said that he is considering reducing the salary of those in the private sector too.
This sent the media working in the private sector into a round of nervous laughter as they all responded with a loud “no”.
Dr Mahathir then mentioned that some bosses from government-linked companies were receiving up to RM 7 million every year, and did not understand how so much money was being used for their salaries.
He added that he himself used to earn only RM20,000 per month when he was prime minister previously, and that the amount was more than enough for him as the government paid for all the other expenses.
“I did not even touch my salary back then as everything was paid for,” he said.
Source: The Malaysian Reserve
When asked what his opinion was about corruption now compared to the time he was in office in the ’80s, he said the government back then was as clean as it could be.
“When we took over the government (after the 14th general election), many things have been done to fight corruption.”
Happy birthday Dr Mahathir! Our birthday wish for you is that you will remain healthy and strong. We want to be like you when we’re 93!
Also read: Tun Mahathir Shares Secret to Staying Sharp & Healthy at 93 Years Old
