KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 14): The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government has done quite well after taking over the administration 18 months ago, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

The prime minister said that although it is less experienced, the government has been able to plan and execute the necessary work to turn the country around.

Citing examples, he said the new government has overcome issues associated with the government machinery and finance and brought about a new freedom in politics.

Speaking at the Bank Rakyat Conversation Session on Legacies in Transition — Reinvent or Retain programme here, Dr Mahathir said the government had a much greater problem to face.

“We have a bigger population, we inherited a government that was considered kleptocratic; so the problems require greater effort and greater determination. You have to be passionate about turning around the country. To a little extent, we have done quite well," he said.

At the session, Bank Rakyat chairman Datuk Noripah Kamso had asked Dr Mahathir for his assessment of Malaysia’s reinvention after the PH historic election victory in May 2018.

The prime minister also said the new Malaysia must be modernised and more things need to be done based on intelligence, data and analytics.

“Today, we have all these technologies coming in which affect the way we do things and, if we don’t learn and apply these new technologies, we will be left behind and will not make progress,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said that if the government adapts to the changes, it will run the country better and grow it to be more competitive in the changing world.

“As they (other countries) change, we have to change. This is the task that this government faces in creating a new Malaysia based on intelligence, not just by working hard. You have to use the powers that are available now in a very intelligent way,” he said.

At the event, Dr Mahathir also witnessed the Bank Rakyat management team led by acting managing director Datuk Rosman Mohamed take the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) corruption-free pledge.

After the pledge was taken, Bank Rakyat officially announced that moving forward, it will practise a ‘no-gift’ policy for all its events.