It has been clear to most Malaysians that ever since the change of government, many things are changing and this can be alluded to the cabinet of ministers, who have been working hard. Perhaps one of the most hardworking ones is our tireless Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The 93-year-old has been working so hard that it has left his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah and Malaysians concerned for his health.
His main priority now is to reform Malaysia and set it back on track but boy, he has a lot of work to do! In fact, there’s so much things to do that he says he may need longer than the previously suggested two years timeframe, reports Sinar Harian as quoted by Malay Mail.
Dr Mahathir said that the timeframe was more of a suggestion and not set in stone as he needs to improve Malaysia’s economy and make sure there is good governance. He is supposed to step down to make way for Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be Prime Minister but first, he needs to ensure that the foundation is laid for a better Malaysia.
“I could be done with my work earlier or it could take longer. My priority is to return the nation’s wealth and improve the nation’s economy so we become stronger. If possible my short-term intention is to address all our problems. Money is not a priority if I became successful. What is important is the result of my work. This is what I work hard for,” Dr Mahathir said.
Other than handling the 1Malaysia Development Board (1MDB) financial fiasco, he says that he wants to improve the civil service as it has been severely damaged by the former Barisan Nasional government. He is confident that he can solve most of the problems but the civil service in Malaysia has gotten him really concerned.
“It’s not just the financial issues, but how damaged the government’s machinery has become. We have found government officers who are not serving the country but they served their party. Some to the point of fanaticism. They would go out and campaign, smear their rivals but now they must work for the rivals that they insulted in the past. I’m not certain about handling this. Like it or not we now have to work with those who attacked us,” Dr Mahathir reportedly said.
When asked whether he would be sacking them, Dr Mahathir said that he could not simply do that as there are no replacements which means he needs to put up with the terrible quality of some of the officers in the civil service. Perhaps they could hire new people to work in the civil service?
Let’s hope Malaysia can really recover from the past doings!
Also read: Mahathir: It’s Frightening and More Challenging to Be PM for the Second Time