JOHOR BARU, Nov 17 — Malaysians should exemplify the work ethics of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who works hard for the country, said Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu.

He said despite the prime minister being 93-years-old, he was energetic when it came to work matters.

"So much so, we (Cabinet ministers) find it difficult to follow his work style and punctuality.

"We have to always be on our toes because our boss does not stop working even for a minute,” said Mohamad in his speech after officiating the Johor Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) 2018 Convention at Bandar Baru Uda here last night.

Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, pointed out that when Dr Mahathir went to New York to attend the United Nations general assembly and also London, the prime minister arrived back in Subang late at night.

"The next morning, we had a Cabinet meeting and to our surprise Dr Mahathir arrived at 9am sharp and went straight to the meeting,” he said, adding that he chaired the meeting for five hours without taking a toilet break.

Mohamad, who is also the Amanah president, said such work ethics and commitment displayed by Dr Mahathir amazed many of his Cabinet colleagues.

On a separate matter, Mohamad said Arab nations should look at Asean on staying united and have a mutual understanding among each other.

"In Asean, only Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei are majority Muslims countries, while the remainder consist of non-Muslims countries.

"Despite that, we are able to work together. But if we look at Arab countries, even though they speak the same language and have the same faith, they still can’t stay united,” he said.

Mohamad added that most Arab countries were at war with each other killing innocent victims and forcing thousands to flee their homes and becoming refugees.