IPOH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak says the country's future should not be in the hands of a 93-year old, but the current government.
Najib said no country in the world would want a leader of such an advanced age to lead their administration, in reference to opposition leader and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
"It is common sense. Is there such a country? No.
"Do we want to be the first country to do so? We have a choice.
"We need to think about the country's future. Malaysia's future is not in the hands of a 93-year old but the government today, Insyaallah," Najib said in his speech before 5,000 civil servants during a gathering on 2018 Budget today.
Among those present were Perak Mentari Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir; Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin and International Trade and Industry Minister II Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan.
Najib said it was worrying to note that the ones behind the 93-year old were politicians who threw insults against civil servants.
He said civil servants should not remain quiet against such attacks.
Najib also moved on the offensive against the opposition, which had accused him of being a "cruel" leader.
"There are those in the opposition who accused me of being a cruel leader. But then, who was the one making a series of arrests under Ops Lalang (under the now-defunct Internal Security Act or ISA in 1987)? Was it Najib, or the 93-year old man?
"Even the Perak menteri besar was arrested under ISA (in 1998). He told me how arduous his experience was, you don't even know whether it was day or night. Until today, he did not know why he was arrested. Hundreds may have gone through the same experience."
Najib took a sarcastic jab against Dr Mahathir, who was recently reported to have denied his role in arresting several opposition leaders, when he was in power.
"But of course. That was not his fault, but the police.
"He even blamed (former deputy prime minister Tun) Musa (Hitam) over (the bloody incident in) Memali. The arrest of (PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim) was also not his fault, but the police. Nothing was ever his fault.
"That is the (political) scenario in Malaysia."
Najib also said both state and federal administrations should be synchronised in order to create a strong governance.
For instance, Najib said the disparity in administration as seen in the Selangor government would surface, due to politics and populism.
"Do not be like the Selangor goverment, the opposition pact leaders get votes, but the people get to use pails in return. But if the federal and state governments are of the team, we will see better management. We (BN) have a (exemplary) track record.
"In Selangor, there is no use giving away free water is there, since there is none in the first place."
Najib also said how he had become a victim of fake news propagated by the opposition.
Among them include the infamous claim about the government flew in 400,000 Bangladeshi phantom voters during the 13th general election, and that his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor take part in Cabinet meetings.
"There are those who even believe such nonsensical stories especially during election season; which I have dubbed as 'silly season'. Such stories are only meant to create hatred".
-- Reporting by Jalal Ali Abd Rahim, Syed Umar Ariff and Shamsul Kamal Amarudin