PORT MORESBY, Nov 17 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that Papua New Guinea, one of the world’s poorest countries, still remember his 2003 visit, his last official visit before resigning as prime minister.

Dr Mahathir, now in his second stint as prime minister, said when he was first PM in 1981, his administration’s policy was to visit poor countries and he only went to the United States three years after assuming office.

"I want to build good ties with Pacific countries. That’s why I came here to meet Somare because what little we can help them with, they appreciate,” Dr Mahathir told Malaysian media at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) 2018 Summit at the Papua New Guinea capital, referring to his 2003 meeting with then-Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare.

"If we go to big countries, we do whatever also they don’t want to say thank you. They just say Ooh you’re not for democracy, oh you’re not free’, anything and everything.”

Dr Mahathir had a bilateral meeting with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill earlier today and is scheduled to visit a mosque here tomorrow.

During Dr Mahathir’s first stint as prime minister, he was accused of authoritarianism due to intolerance for street demonstrations, alleged interference with the judiciary, and the detention of opposition politicians without trial and suspension of four newspapers under the 1987 Ops Lalang security crackdown.