Former Malaysian PM: Current government ‘must go’

BANGKOK – The man who led Malaysia through the final two decades of the 20th century and has waded back into its politics in recent months says the country’s current government is deeply problematic and “must go.”

“We are facing a lot of difficulties with a government that ignores the rule of law,” Mahathir Mohamad told an audience in Thailand on Thursday at a forum about Southeast Asia.

“These kinds of people must go,” he said of current Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government, which has held onto power through a huge corruption scandal.

Mahathir, now 92, was Malaysia’s prime minister from 1991 until 2003. He has recently taken a strong stance against Najib’s government, saying his one-time protege is corrupt and has elbowed Malaysia backward instead of propelling it forward.