Datuk Seri Najib Razak says it is important for the country to remain politically stable and asked the people to continue supporting the BN coalition. ― Bernama pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 ― Malaysia is still a democracy and the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is keeping it that way, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.

He was responding to a scathing criticism from former mentor and retired prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who remarked yesterday that Malaysia was heading towards a dictatorship like North Korea after the the government restricted access within the country to news portal The Malaysian Insider.

“We are not a dictatorship or an authoritarian government. We practise parliamentary democracy. We regard it highly,” he told a gathering at Kampung Muhibbah here during his speech.

He also dismissed allegations that his administration will fall due to criticisms against it.

But he also said it was important for the country to remain politically stable and asked the people to continue supporting the BN coalition.

“People say the government is going to fall. They are wrong,” Najib said.

He pointed that proposed legislations and the national Budget were still presented in Parliament last year to be debated before they were passed by a wide vote margin, indicating his administration followed the due processes of democracy.

The PM highlighted Malaysia’s continued high credit ratings from international financial bodies as proof his administration was running the country well.

“Recently, IMF gave a positive certification for the country's economy management, even Fitch gave us A- . We get positive approval of international rating agencies,” he said, referring to the International Monetary Fund by its abbreviation and a global credit rating agency respectively.

“If anyone says that we don't run our country well, they have a political motive behind it. They don't mean well,” Najib added.