PUTRAJAYA, Aug 21- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should give space and the opportunity to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to helm the government in his own way, said Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said that every prime minister had his own style of leadership and personally they had issues concerning the people which were close to their heart.
He said Malaysia was most fortunate to have prime ministers who had always placed top priority on the people from the time of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and now Najib.
He said the payment of the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M), which was criticised by Dr Mahathir actually showed Najib’s concern for the problem faced by the people when the cost of living had become a hot issue not only in Malaysia but the whole world.
He felt that Dr Mahathir had his own style in tackling the implications arising from the cost of living issue but the environment and impact of the issue then did not require the approach introduced by Najib now. On Dr Mahathir’s criticism that BR1M was a waste of the nation’s fund, Ismail Sabri said this was a misperception because it was a new method of paying subsidy to those who were more eligible and the target group.
“When the oil subsidy was reduced, there were savings made and subsidy was given to provide BR1M. Otherwise, the low-income group would feel the pinch from the rise in fuel prices which would have an effect on the prices of other goods.
Ismail Sabri said it was not possible that Najib’s policy was wrong when Malaysia achieved a growth rate of 6.4 per cent for the second quarter of this year, which was the best growth rate among Asean nations.
– BERNAMA
