Dr Mahathir launching Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur (CVSKL) as its chairman Tan Sri Dr Yahya Awang (left) looks on. — Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government was striving to fulfill the promises in its election manifesto, but indicated that more time was needed to do that.
The PH government has come under scrutiny over its 100-day fulfillment of election pledges as the deadline draws near.
Dr Mahathir said, however, he was optimistic that most of what was outlined in the document would be resolved within five years.
The manifesto was crafted on the basis of what PH knew at that time, he told reporters after launching the Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur (CVSKL), a private cardiac and vascular specialist hospital here yesterday.
“But when we took over (the government) we found that the situation was much worse, more money had been borrowed,” he said, adding that the government found itself working in an environment that was not suited to what it wanted to do.
Dr Mahathir also said that the government had to draft certain laws and bring them to Parliament – a process that required time – to fulfill its election vows.
On his upcoming visit to China, Dr Mahathir said it was aimed at, among other things, to strengthen relations between the two countries.
“China is the first country that I should have visited but other problems prevented me from going to China much earlier,” he said.
Dr Mahathir is scheduled to make an official visit to China from Aug 17 to 21 at the invitation of his counterpart, Li Keqiang, premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. — Bernama