Won’t criticise Najib openly

PRIME Minister Abdullah Badawi has declared that he will not criticise his successor publicly, believing that adjustments to the path of making Malaysia a developed nation are bound to happen.

'I just work on the basis of believing that if you do something that is good, if it continues to bring good, then there is no good reason why it should be stopped.'

Mr Abdullah said this when asked if he would get angry if his successor, Najib Razak, goes against any promises that were made between them before the transition of power took place.

'No, I will not,' he told editors during a final meeting with them at Seri Perdana here Tuesday.

'If you have a policy that takes 20 or 30 years to achieve results, along the way there will be a lot of adjustments. Don't change the main policy, but just how we get there.'

Mr Abdullah said he did not like to criticise anyone publicly.

'Generally speaking, I would expect an MP to be supportive of the government to which he belongs.

'But if there are certain things that you are not happy about, you can always chat over a cup of tea. I hate to scold people in front of anyone.'

When asked if former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's surprise visit at the Umno general assembly had taken away what was meant to be a grand farewell for Mr Abdullah, he said: 'They've (Umno members) known me for a long time. When your time is up, it's time to go. I do not demand too much. No fanfare is necessary.'

On whether any words were exchanged during the embrace on the stage that day, Mr Abdullah said: 'It was so rushed. I don't remember anymore. (It was) not very significant.'

Mr Abdullah said during his six years helming the country's leadership, his best achievement was the 2004 general election results while his greatest regret was the dismal 2008 general election result. — THE STAR/ANN