PETALING JAYA: Keeping the “house” in order is the priority for newly-minted Perikatan Nasional chief, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
“My priority is the housekeeping of the Perikatan coalition. It is not a secret that this needs to be done.
“We have to present ourselves as an alternative government in the next general election,” said Ahmad Samsuri following his maiden courtesy call to Star Media Group Bhd (SMG) here yesterday.
He was received by SMG group chief executive officer Chan Seng Fatt, chief operating officer Lydia Wang, The Star’s chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng, and managing editor Brian Martin, who then briefed him on the workflow for news publishing.
During his discussions with SMG’s senior management, Ahmad Samsuri also called for funds for state development to be disbursed without discrimination.
“The states depend on federal funds for development.
“The development funds should not be politicised as the people are the ones who suffer,” said Ahmad Samsuri, who is also Terengganu Mentri Besar and PAS vice-president.
On the subject of governance, he said Malaysia is not easy to administer, given that Sabah and Sarawak differ in terms of their population, while the east coast (states in the peninsula) are also very different from the west coast.
“We are a diverse population,” he said when asked on the way forward for his coalition.
On the well-being of the people, Ahmad Samsuri said it is important for Malaysia to find its own way to determine the level of happiness, instead of relying solely on other indicators.
“While Bhutan and Finland may be seen as countries with a high degree of happiness, we may find difficulties there.
“This is why Malaysia must find its own measurement of happiness.”
