PM: We need honest leaders

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: Pakatan Harapan wants good honest people to run the country, says its chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said they wanted people like former prime ministers the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, the late Tun Abdul Razak and the late Tun Hussein Onn.

He said the coalition did not want Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak or Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Dr Mahathir said he knew Tun Abdul Razak as a caring man who was respected by the people.

“He opened the rural areas, Felda and Risda,” he said in his speech during a programme with the people at Dataran Sungai Koyan here yesterday.

Dr Mahathir said Najib thought he could buy the people with money as he believed “cash is king”.

“He gave money through BR1M (1Malaysia People’s Aid) and to the fishermen, so people would support him in the general election.

“But the people have pride, we cannot be bought. Najib doesn’t understand this.

“If the people would support a thief, then I want to become one, too,” he said in jest.

Dr Mahathir said Pakatan would work hard to turn the country’s fortune and economy around.

“Pakatan will rectify the country’s current situation. We have about RM1 trillion in debt, left by Najib.

“We need to pay it. The interest alone is about RM400mil,” the prime minister added.

“The people are paying for it now. If it wasn’t for the debt, we could have done so much.

“We work not because of money but because we love the country,” he added.

According to Bernama, Dr Maha­thir also demonstrated he was as witty as ever during yesterday’s cam­paigning.

He said that at his age the usual awards no longer appealed to him.

“KSM is the award that I adore,” he said, explaining the abbreviation stood for “kerja sampai mati” (work till death), drawing laughter and applause from the thousands of voters gathered at Sungai Koyan.

“I will keep talking so long as I can do so. I am already 93. There’s not much time left,” he said.

Also present at the event were DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and Pakatan candidate for the by-election M. Manogaran of DAP.