INTERVIEW | Before the 14th general election, many Pakatan Harapan leaders came out to say that Malaysians overseas were embarrassed to admit where they were from, because of the many scandals plaguing the country.

But according to Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysians can now be proud of their country once again after the May 9 general election.

“Globally, people admire Malaysia at this point in time, how the people came around.

“Even non-Malaysians overseas were shouting with our Malaysians when we won the election because they felt so elated.

“Now we can hold our heads high,” a beaming Siti Hasmah said during an interview with Malaysiakini at the Perdana Leadership Foundation.

She pointed to the donation drive initiated by the rakyat after the new Harapan government announced that the country’s debts and liabilities totalled nearly RM1 trillion.

This eventually became the basis for Tabung Harapan Malaysia.

Ordinary citizens were even writing letters to Mahathir with money attached, she revealed.

“They attached RM10, RM50, RM100 to their letters to help pay the debts. Where would you get this in any other part of the world?” she asked...