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Malaysia lagging behind neighbours due to Najib's corruption: Mahathir

Former two-time Malaysia prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday (20 July) hit out at his predecessor Najib Razak, saying his
Malaysia's former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad speaking during a news conference in Putrajaya in this file photo from 2020. On Wednesday, Dr Mahathir hit out at his predecessor Najib Razak, saying his "corruption of the Government" is to blame for Malaysia lagging behind her neighbours. (REUTERS FILE PHOTO)

Former two-time Malaysia prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday (20 July) hit out at his predecessor Najib Razak, saying his "corruption of the government" is to blame for Malaysia lagging behind her neighbours.

In a Facebook post, Dr Mahathir, 97, elaborated, "It is due to the huge amounts of money he borrowed which have now disappeared. It is due to the projects he started which were not only overpriced but favoured the other parties.

"It is due to the projects being of little benefit to the country. And of course due to having to pay to settle the huge debts incurred by him. There is no money left to develop the country."

The post was a reference to comments Najib himself made on Facebook last week, in which the 68-year-old compared Malaysia to other countries in the region, specifically with regard to high speed rail projects in Thailand and Indonesia.

"I am very worried. The fact is, we are falling behind. Neighbouring countries are rapidly developing," Najib wrote in Malay in a Facebook post on 11 July.

"What are our plans? Where is our economy heading? We need to focus on development again," he added.

Dr Mahathir, in his Facebook post on Wednesday titled "Plunderer's Twist", wrote, "It is amazing. Najib is at it again. He is blatantly blaming others for the situation that he himself created."

Among other things, Dr Mahathir pointed out that Najib engineered a change of government twice. "He stole billions of Ringgit which affected the development of Malaysia. Yet he puts the blame on PH (Pakatan Harapan) which he brought down through the back door," he said.

On Malaysia's high speed rail (HSR) project with Singapore which was cancelled by his administration in 2018, incurring compensation to Singapore, Dr Mahathir said, "A high-speed train only saves time if it covers a long distance. For short distances the time saved is insignificant. And HSR is very costly.

"Yes, we have to pay RM320 million to Singapore. That is because Najib made that silly agreement. Carrying on would drain the treasury more, at a time when we need to pay money for Najib’s borrowings."

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