KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 ― The main focus of the government right now is to ensure improvement of the national economy, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak.

“We are facing a lot of hitches which are not our fault but due to the drop in oil prices, that had adversely affected the Malaysian ringgit; other countries are similarly hit,” he told reporters.

He said this after attending an Aidilfitri celebration organised by the Special Affairs Department (Jasa) here today.

Asked about former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement that street demonstrations should be the last resort to persuade Datuk Seri Najib Razak to step down as Prime Minister, he said the former appeared to have run out of ideas.

Salleh said Dr Mahathir had previously written in his blog against holding street demonstrations.

On Utusan's assistant editor Ku Seman Ku Hussain's challenge to him for a debate with Jasa director general Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi on the RM2.6 billion donation issue, he said, “let the readers themselves evaluate the truth”.

“We probably have different opinions, he sees it from a perspective while I see it from the aspect of truth based on facts,” Salleh said. ― Bernama