Dr M says even angels err, likens Harapan win to car accident
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad defended Pakatan Harapan against criticism that it flip-flops on its election manifesto.
"Sometimes we go the wrong way and we turn around, but only if necessary. We are not perfect people. Although most of us are angels, even angels make mistakes.
"So when angels make mistakes, they turn around," he told reporters after the Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting at Bersatu's Petaling Jaya headquarters this afternoon...
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad defended Pakatan Harapan against criticism that it flip-flops on its election manifesto.
"Sometimes we go the wrong way and we turn around, but only if necessary. We are not perfect people. Although most of us are angels, even angels make mistakes.
"So when angels make mistakes, they turn around," he told reporters after the Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting at Bersatu's Petaling Jaya headquarters this afternoon.
The latest policy flip-flop appears to be the new repayment scheme for the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) borrowers, which was postponed yesterday pending further public consultation.
Mahathir said that since there were a lot of protests regarding the new repayment scheme, the cabinet decided to postpone it to introduce modifications after looking at public opinions.
Asked if he believes that Education Minister Maszlee Malik and PTPTN chairperson Wan Saiful Wan Jan's performance are below par, the prime minister replied: “For example, we didn't expect Harapan to win the election.”
“People make mistakes. Sometimes, things happen that they don't expect. A person walks out and he gets hit by a car. Sorry,” he added.
Mahathir also revealed that several civil servants were laid off due to the closure of certain government agencies.
He said the agencies, which he did not name, were closed because they were misused by the previous government for party purposes.
"When we closed down the agencies, many officers and staff were laid off.
"We need to re-examine this to see whether they were involved or not... because many of them were not involved in politics, but were just government servants," he added.
Mahathir also said that under the previous government, employees of these agencies were receiving their remunerations with money from "unknown sources."
He said the Harapan government cannot keep these agencies open, as they do not have that sort of money to sustain them.
"We did not steal money so we can only rely on government revenue, and the revenue is not enough to afford the high costs of these agencies," he added.
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