Dr M on Najib’s 100 days
Malaysia's former leader Mahathir Mohamad on Friday gave a thumbs down to Prime Minister Najib Razak's first 100 days in office. –PHOTO: AP
MALAYSIA'S former leader Mahathir Mohamad on Friday gave a thumbs down to Prime Minister Najib Razak's first 100 days in office, saying there has been 'more negatives than positives' under the new administration.
Since taking power April 3, Mr Najib has implemented a wide range of economic reforms to woo foreign investors as the country faces its first recession in a decade.
Dr Mahathir, who retired in 2003 but remains an influential political figure, slammed Mr Najib's move to roll back an affirmative action programme for ethnic Malay Muslims, including scrapping a requirement for Malays to own 30 per cent equity in some sectors in the financial services industry.
Companies seeking to list on the stock exchange also no longer need to allot 30 per cent shares for Malays.
Dr Mahathir further criticised Mr Najib for plans to scrap the use of English to teach math and science by 2012 in favour of the national Malay language, warning it would hurt the country's competitiveness.
It reversed a policy started by Dr Mahathir in 2003 amid concerns that poor English skills were hindering students' job opportunities. Mr Najib says the government remains committed to raise the level of English in schools by employing more English teachers and increasing the hours of teaching.
Dr Mahathir also objected Mr Najib's plans to build a third bridge to neighbouring Singapore and said he hasn't taken concrete steps to fight corruption.
'I'm sorry to say this, there are more negatives than positives,' he told reporters when asked to assess Mr Najib's first 100 days. 'It doesn't mean that I don't support the government but I think the government is doing the wrong things.'
Dr Mahathir, was Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister, in power between 1981 and 2003. He holds no government post but his views are widely respected.
Dr Mahathir ran a fierce public campaign that helped pressure Mr Najib's predecessor, Mr Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to step down in March, four years before his term expired. — AP
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