Malaysians are forced to bear with “old pains” inherited from the era of Dr Mahathir Mohamad such as corruption and wastage of public funds, said PAS Youth chief Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz.

He noted that during the time of Mahathir, Malaysia was blessed with wealth but this was not appreciated, and immoral actions mushroomed, posing a problem for former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“When we were a wealthy nation, we strayed from being grateful to Allah for the bounty.

“What happened instead was widespread corruption and money politics, which eventually ruined the country,” he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia.

“We were rich during Mahathir's era, but faced problems during the time of Pak Lah (Abdullah). Now, we continue to face problems in Najib's era. We are forced to bear with old pains.

“So during this difficult period, we should not choose a remedy which Allah disapproves of,” he added.

During his 22 years in power, Mahathir was bombarded with allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

However, his staunchest critics have since become his allies in a bid to save the nation from Najib, whom they have accused of corruption and abuse of power as well.

The prime minister has denied these allegations.

Last month, the government formed a special task force to probe the forex losses incurred more than three decades ago, which critics claim is an attempt to tarnish Mahathir.