In this final part of a three-part interview with Malaysiakini , former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad argued that the government should hike oil prices ‘a bit more gently so people will not feel it so much’.

Malaysiakini: The government has introduced five economic corridors and are pumping money into them. Will it work? Is it the right step towards achieving our Vision 2020 or is it just a matter of fooling the voters?

Mahathir: I wouldn’t be able to say it precisely but we’re dealing with huge figures going up to trillions of dollars and extending to the 12th Malaysia Plan. We can’t guarantee (that the projects will continue) even the 10MP and we’re now in the 9MP, so people would notice that these are big figures and they might not finish.