Dr M says he's PM in a hurry as mortality is on his mind

Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he is a prime minister in a hurry as the 93-year-old takes cognisance of the fact that he does not have long left to live.

“I am lucky I survived this long. Actually, I should not be around to watch what happened with my predecessors but I am lucky in the sense that I am not only older but still able to function.

“But I realise that I am very old, and very soon I will weaken and I will die.

"So, I am always in a hurry. Other people seem to take things easy, but I am in a hurry because I realise I don’t have much time to do the things that I feel need to be done in this country," he told Focus Malaysia in an interview.

Mahathir was the fourth prime minister and is also currently the seventh prime minister.

Mahathir also acknowledged that he was an interim prime minister and stressed that he was prepared to leave when the time comes.

The Langkawi MP said he will do his best so long as he is the prime minister.

"If I am asked to leave, I’ll leave, because no specific date was given. I was only told that I am the choice for prime ministership from the opposition coalition, but they didn’t specify when.

"They have said that I am the interim and that somebody will take over. I suppose that may be long before the next election," he was quoted as saying.

Last year, Mahathir led Pakatan Harapan to unseat BN from power, the first change in government in 61 years, since independence.

He also became the oldest head of government in the world.

Mahathir also dismissed the likelihood of a cabinet reshuffle despite lamenting that his ministers were inexperienced.

“If I go around discharging and replacing them, it is not going to help.

“I have to try and, well, work with them so that they acquire experience, and believe me, some of them have done quite well,” he said.

He added that the ministers must take criticism in stride, especially if they continue to behave like the opposition.