Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi feels his predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad could have gone into a frenzy because the current administration works at a slower pace.

According to Bernama , the premier said this during an interview on BBC's Special Edition of Asia Today where he was quizzed on Mahathir's scathing attacks against him.

Abdullah said the former prime minister, who stepped down in 2003, had the right to say whatever he wanted.

"It is his right to say what he wants. I have a government to run. I have to do what I think is possible to do. The economy is better now and the Ninth Malaysia Plan has been launched in March and today it is gathering momentum.

"Maybe because we are a bit slow, that's why he (Mahathir) was getting impatient," he added.

Abdullah, who had stopped in London on his way to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, also said he will continue to run the country.

Responding to a question, he replied: "Well I think so (laughing), I think so. There is a lot of work to be done."

Abdullah was asked whether he has the appetite for the job and would like to run again in the next election.

Moderate Islam

The prime minister also said Malaysia practices a moderate Islam by not marginalising the non-Muslims, bringing them into the power sharing government and permitting freedom of worship.

On Muslim extremists who had hijacked the global agenda, Abdullah said Islam must be made to be understood by the people.

"We certainly have to provide them with an alternative in the sense that the ability to talk what Islam is, what Islam really is and what Islam wants us to do and to prove that Islam is not against modernity, to prove that Islam is still relevant today," he said.

Abdullah said Islam does not tolerate and compromise terrorism.

He said he had been promoting Islam Hadhari, a civilisational Islam approach initiated by him, which had been receiving good response from both the Muslim and Western world.