PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is doing well if compared with the rest of the world, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The Prime Minister, however, said Malaysians tend to feel otherwise because the government has not been efficient in showcasing its great achievements.

“The government is not good at telling stories of what it has done. Today, a lot of people are investing in the country, but we are not announcing these investments as they come.

“If you look at the rest of the world, Latin America is not stable. In North America, you have people like President Trump who sends drones to kill people.

“Britain has problems with Brexit. Europe is not united, the Middle East has troubles and in Africa, people are being killed.

“In South Asia, Muslims are being discriminated against. Even in East Asia, you have North Korea and you have quarrels between Japan and South Korea.

“In all, we are quite stable I think. We are not fighting or killing each other, or having demonstrations in the streets with millions of people.

“Yet people here think we are not doing well. So I don’t know what they think doing well means, ” said Dr Mahathir, at a press conference here after chairing a meeting of the Special Cabinet Committee on Anti-Corruption on Tuesday (Jan 7).

He was asked to comment on the findings of a survey by Merdeka Centre, which saw 61% of respondents feeling their country was headed in the wrong direction.

Dr Mahathir said Malaysia is very lucky to have undergone a peaceful transition during the change of government after the 14th General Election.

“Everything went smoothly, despite the government being formed by a coalition of four parties plus other parties.

“We still have a functioning Cabinet that can make decisions.

“We have a country that is peaceful, stable and law abiding. That is a great achievement, besides our progress in the economic and social field. And now, we are making steps to reduce disparity among the people, ” said Dr Mahathir.

The survey found that economic matters were the biggest concerns faced by Malaysians, followed by leadership, administration, politics and racial issues.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/01/07/dr-m-msia-doing-well-when-compared-with-rest-of-the-world