KOTA KINABALU, Sept 16 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called on a complete change of mindset from Malaysians tonight, singling out the culture of corruption and bribery which has been rampant in the past administration.
Speaking in his Malaysia Day address, Dr Mahathir has called on a return to the slogan of “Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah” (Malay for “Clean, Efficient and Trustworthy”) that was the hallmark of his administration back in the 1980s.
“We want to change the culture of corruption that is so rampant among Umno leaders and Barisan Nasional (BN), as well as the government machinery under them.
“The belief that ‘cash is king’ is clearly not true. Let us reject this slogan and return to ‘Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah’,” he said during his speech at the celebration in Padang Merdeka here.
The prime minister said that this Malaysia Day was significant because it was the first time it was under a different government since the country was established.
“The change is not insignificant because before the last elections, analysts and observers across the board said it was near-impossible to unseat the BN administration who have been in power for 61 years.
“Pakatan Harapan unexpectedly succeeded and this is what the people wanted. It is a form of people’s power. Those who sideline the people will suffer the same fate and we should understand this,” he said.
He added that the change has inspired the widespread use of a new slogan “Malaysia Baharu” or “New Malaysia”, indicating that the people’s and political aspirations were closely linked.
“We don’t want a kleptocratic rule that discards democracy and pays no heed to the rule of law,” he said.
