Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today accused his predecessor Najib Abdul Razak of “destroying” the government machinery by abusing it to prop up his regime.
He said this is why many government officers who were involved had to be removed, and it will take time for the government to recover.
“The damage done to the country is far worse than what we suspected. Not only billions of ringgit disappeared, but the government machinery had been sabotaged such that it no longer functions properly.
“We have to remove some of the officers who were involved in sustaining the previous government […] We have to take this action to remove many officers because they have participated in the damages caused by the previous government.
“So, in order to recover, we will need time because the machinery of government has been destroyed because it had been abused by Najib,” he said.
Mahathir was speaking to some 3,000 people in Shah Alam at a fundraising dinner for Tabung Harapan organised by the Coalition of 18 Klang Associations – a group that comprises Klang-based Chinese guilds.
The Pakatan Harapan-led government took power following the outcome of the 14th general election on May 9.
Since then, many key government officers had been replaced, including former attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali, former MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad, former Bank Negara governor Muhammad Ibrahim, and former chief justice Md Raus Sharif.
Many of these officers had resigned, while some others such as Apandi had been sacked.
In his speech today, Mahathir also reiterated Harapan’s commitment to upholding the rule of law.
However, he said some laws are unfair and do not protect the interests of businesses and the people, such as the National Security Council Act 2016.
As such, he said the NSC Act will be repealed. – MALAYSIAKINI
Sosma to be repealed – Dr Mahathir
SHAH ALAM: The government will repeal laws that are oppressive, especially the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Sosma, which was introduced during the former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak´s administration, allowed the government to arrest anyone without having to go to court.
“Najib´s law allows a person to be arrested and not to be taken to court, and if that person died, there will be neither inquiry nor action taken against those who killed him. That is the law passed by Najib and we will repeal that law,” Dr Mahathir said this at the Coalition of Klang Chinese Associations´ (CKCA) Tabung Harapan Fund Raising Dinner here tonight.
Also present were his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abd Samad, Member of Parliament for Klang Charles Santiago and the CKCA´s president Datuk Tony Tang.
Dr Mahathir said Pakatan Harapan-led (PH) government, on the other hand, would adhere to the rule of law by enforcing laws that would protect the people.
“The people will be protected by fair laws so that if they committed any offence, they will be judged by the court … the court will determine whether or not the person is guilty, ” he said.
Meanwhile, the prime minister also thanked all Malaysians who had given the mandate to PH to improve the situation in the country left by Najib’s government.
He said he believed that the coalition would succeed in doing so as they had the strong support from the people.
“It is obvious tonight when so many people attend the fund raising dinner for Tabung Harapan. We managed to raise millions of ringgit even though it is not as much as the 1 trillion (debt), what´s important is our spirit, our willingness to sacrifice because we love this country.
“This is our country, this is our home, we were born here and we grew up here and for that reasons, we love Malaysia. Thank you very much to those who organised this campaign … for taking the initiative without any instruction from the government. Even though the amount is small but it is the gesture that is important, ” he said.
At the event, Dr Mahathir received a mock cheque of RM3.5 million for Tabung Harapan, contributed by 257 individuals and companies in Klang. — https://www.theedgemarkets.com
MKINI / THE EDGE
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