Muhyiddin: Najib practises open attitude, ready to take criticisms

The government accepts all the comments and issues raised by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad regarding the country's leadership with an open mind, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said the comments made by Dr Mahathir were seen as advice for improvement.

"We accept the comments as advice from a former leader whom we respect very much.

"We will give attention to whatever he says and are thankful for the comments he made about the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib (Tun Razak) and the issues he brought up," he told reporters after opening Permatang Pauh Umno delegates conference.

In his blog, www.chedet.cc , Dr Mahathir had said he had to withdraw support for Najib and criticised his leadership saying his policies and actions were ineffective.

Dr Mahathir said going by the current situation, Najib's leadership should improve and he had to withdraw support for him so that Najib could learn from it.

Muhyiddin said most of the government's actions were the result of joint discussions before the decisions were made, either by the prime minister or the government.

 "As the deputy prime minister, I feel Datuk Seri Najib practises an open attitude, is ready to accept comments and views," he said, adding that he was also affected by Dr Mahathir's comments because the government's policies were collectively made.

Citing as an example the abolition of the Internal Security Act (ISA) which had a big implication on security, Muhyiddin said Dr Mahathir also commented that the Government had to reassess the decision and correct the situation.

"Improvements are being made, on economic plans, transformation, race issues and community support for the government. It is not just the government but also the party (Umno) that is assessing it.

 "As deputy president of Umno, I am giving it my attention...so we hope Tun (Dr Mahathir) will continue to give us constructive views," he said.

Muhyiddin added that he hoped the prime minister was given the space and chance to continue leading the country as the current challenges were much bigger and had to be collectively overcome.

 "The situation today has changed a lot and the government has to be more aware of the views of the people who are now more exposed to social media and feel free to voice their views and opinions...so the support of every former leader is much appreciated," he said.

Muhyiddin said he believed Dr Mahathir truly loved Umno and the Barisan Nasional and wanted the party to continue to lead and defend the government's position in the coming general elections.

Asked if there were parties taking advantage of Dr Mahathir's criticisms to cause a rift among the leadership, the deputy prime minister said: "Of course everyone takes Tun's criticisms seriously... some would react but our hope is that it would not cause a rift."

He said the comments made by Dr Mahathir could be a unifying factor to keep Umno strong and respected.