MALAYSIANS will realise in two years that the Pakatan Harapan government had set the country in the right direction, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The prime minister, in a blog post today, asked the people to give Putrajaya more time to get the nation back on track, and to participate fully in its policies pushing for shared prosperity.

It would be a “miracle” if a new government could realise all its plans and promises overnight, he said.

“After PH took over from Barisan Nasional, which had ruled the country for 60 years, it would be an even greater miracle if it could implement its plans and agendas immediately.

“It did not take over from just any government. It took over from a kleptocratic government that had raped the nation for years, destroyed its finances, undermined its administrative agencies, abused its laws, borrowed well above the ceiling permitted, placed the country on the path to bankruptcy, made the people dependent on the government with bribes, and generally undermined the moral of the people.”

Those who accuse the PH administration of being “directionless” are the ones who refuse to acknowledge reality, he said.

“Are we really the same as the Malaysia under the previous government? Or are they saying they prefer the kleptocratic government?”

Dr Mahathir last year said bridging income disparity would be the core focus of the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (SPV2030).

The 10-year economic plan will be a pillar of the 12th and 13th Malaysia Plans, with an emphasis on skills-development programmes.

Though SPV2030 does not mean everyone gets to become billionaires, said the prime minister, it will help build opportunities for Malaysians to be as prosperous as possible.

“For the government, the direction is clear. We don’t want to just recover and be prosperous. We want to share our wealth equitably.

“Towards this end, we have initiated a new industrial plan, complemented by a new agricultural plan. I will not elaborate. But we know the direction we are going. Outsiders may not. But we do.”

He said plans may take a week or so to create, but their implementation takes a much longer period.

“It will take at least two years. The work has already begun. For the observers, it would seem that nothing is moving.

“Rome was not built in one day. When Malaysia was switching from an agro-based economy to an industrial economy, it also took time.

“But most of us don’t remember, and the young never saw the transition. Most were born when the transition was already accomplished. It is difficult to imagine an agricultural Malaysia today.”

He said the country is increasingly going paperless, and soon, cashless transactions will be the norm.

“Digitalisation is already happening, and artificial intelligence is increasing the speed of work and transactions.

“Even for me, it is frustrating to wait. But wait we must. The government machinery has been cleansed and is rapidly adapting to the new ways of working.

“Even ministers are adjusting to being in the government instead of the opposition.”

Dr Mahathir said Malaysia is stable and peaceful, and the PH government respects the law.

“We are removing draconian laws or suspending them pending abolition or amendment.

“People feel safe travelling anywhere in the country. During the recent New Year celebrations, 60,000 to 80,000 people gathered to enjoy the shows. This cannot happen even in some developed countries.”

Though the nation is still recovering from disasters brought about by the previous administration, he said, the people are now enjoying better governance. – January 10, 2020.