SHAH ALAM: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he was confident that the Pakatan Harapan government will be able to resolve all issues created by the previous Barisan Nasional administration.
He said when PH took over the administration, they were shocked to find the damage done to the country was far worse than suspected.
“It is not just money that went missing in billions of ringgit. But the government machinery had been sabotaged. So, we had to take action by removing some of the officers involved in sustaining the previous government.
“These officers had participated in the damage caused by the previous government. We needed time to recover (the country) because the machinery of government had been destroyed and misused by (Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak),” he said in his speech at the Tabung Harapan charity campaign held at the Ideal Convention Centre in Seksyen 15 here.
Dr Mahathir said the government also had to review several mega projects like the KL- Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) and East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) to reduce debts and prevent the country going bankrupt.
“We found out that Najib accumulated debts amounting to more than RM1 trillion and we might not be able to settle the debts. Hence why we had to drop or review unimportant projects like HSR and ECRL because they cost billions.
“If we continued with the projects, we will be tied with huge debts and as we know, if we fail to pay, we will become a bankrupt nation. We had to stop several projects planned by Najib and hold negotiations with the parties involved to reduce the cost.
“This is the government that you chose. I thank you all for giving Pakatan Harapan the opportunity to improve the country’s situation. I am confident we will get to resolve issued caused by BN, because we have strong support from the public.
“This event proves that. I was shocked to see (more than 3,000) people in this hall. I thought there will only be 100 or 200 people. The event (fundraising dinner) was not forced by any, it came from the heart of Malaysians.”
The fundraising dinner, organised by the Coalition of Klang Associations, raised nearly RM3.5 million from 257 organisations and people of Klang.
Dr Mahathir said even though the amount was small compared to RM1 trillion, it was the dedication and willingness of the people to sacrifice for the country that should be lauded.
“We are not asking you to fight and die for the country, but fight to defend the freedom of the country. This is our country, our home, we were born here, we grew up here, we become business people and citizens of this country. For this reason, we love this country. Thank you all.”