During his previous 22-year tenure as prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad had been accused of an avalanche of misdeeds, ranging from corruption to abuse of power.

Many of his past critics are now serving under him in the new government following the May 9 general election, which saw Mahathir return as prime minister once again.

The 92-year-old politician told Bloomberg Television that he would not allow his new critics to distract him.

He also believes that his detractors would continue to hurl brickbats at him even after he breathes his last.

Mahathir stressed that his focus is on mending the nation's economy and ensuring that Malaysia achieved developed status within the shortest possible time.

"Whether people appreciate me or not, is not relevant.

"Once I’m dead, they will (continue to) say nasty things anyway," he told Bloomberg Television.

On the international front, Mahathir trained his guns on US President Donald Trump, describing the latter as “mercurial”.

“He changes his mind within 24 hours,” he said, citing the example of Trump flip-flopping on whether to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a summit in Singapore earlier this month.

“When you have a man like that, you need to be cautious,” he added.

Mahathir, who had earlier said he is reviewing the investments from China, said neither China nor US should vie to become the region's leading superpower.

“This is the cause of all tension, where you have people trying to be leaders of the world. We should be equal partners,” he added.

Bloomberg compared Mahathir's willingness to push back against the world's biggest economic powers to former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, who golfed and dined with US presidents and dubbed himself a "true friend" of China.