Mahathir, who turned 97 today, said in a media interview that he had many ideas on how to improve the country, but expressed disappointment because he is no longer in power to implement those ideas.

“There are still a lot of things that I want to do and I’m very concerned about social problems. People who live in villages are poor but those in town are relatively rich.

“I think I can find ways to improve the well-being of people who live in the villages but for that, I need to have authority, if not I get frustrated,” he told Astro Awani.

Asked about his determination to contest in the coming general election, after having earlier ruled himself out, Mahathir explained that his decision came because many people were clueless about managing the country.

He said Malaysia had potential and an abundance of resources but none of that mattered if the leaders did not know how to utilise them.

“I see a lot of things that can be done for this country. However, many people don’t seem to know what to do,” he said.

Mahathir, who was Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, had 24 years in power, in two stints from the 1980s and in 2018-20.

Last month, Mahathir said he would consider contesting the next general election to defend his Langkawi parliamentary seat. He said Pejuang was eyeing several candidates to contest the seat, but he would be open to standing if none was found to be suitable.

In the Astro Awani interview, Mahathir said politicians must be prepared to face criticism.

“If you have a heart as soft as tissue, perhaps you should forget your desire to go into politics. A politician must always be ready to be the victim of criticism and insults, or be even hated by the people,” he said.