Dr M: PH leaders need to make mindset adjustment

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday acknowledged that leaders in the Pakatan Harapan government needed time to make a mindset adjustment as many had been in opposition for more than six decades.

“When they became (part of the) government, their old characteristics (of being the opposition) still emerged and influenced their way of thinking.

“But, in a short time, (they) have had to make an adjustment. Now, they have realised that they are the government,” he said at the 2018 Perdana Fellowship Programme yesterday.

Present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, as well as other cabinet ministers, including Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is back at work after a month-long sick leave.

The Perdana Fellowship programme offers selected young Malaysians rare insights on how a country is governed and the government’s inner workings.

Dr Mahathir told the 60 youths who were chosen for the programme that they must be ready for the future.

He stressed the need to have the right characteristics to become good leaders.

“Anyone can become a leader under the democratic system. But, if a bad person becomes a leader, the system will become bad too.

“It is not the (democratic) system that is important. It is more (about the) leaders having the right characteristics.”