KUALA LUMPUR: Things have changed since the era of a "former leader" after the abolition of crony capitalism, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

According to the Prime Minister, the present administration had made it clear that there would be no more cronyism.

"Things have changed since his time," he said in his "Governance in a developing Democracy" keynote address at the United Nations Association of Malaysia here on Monday.

Najib said that the "former leader" was also responsible for spreading "fake news" to foreign media to topple the democratically elected Government.

"He is now making himself available to any media organisation that is willing to listen so that he can spread fake news and tell lies about his country for selfish political gain, " he added.

While not mentioning any name, the reference to foreign media interviews is linked to former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"It is unfortunate that we are living in a time when we are faced with an epidemic of fake news," he said.

He cited several examples where this "former leader" had spewed fake news, such as claims that Malaysia was among the "top 10" most corrupted countries or that the nation was bankrupt and sliding to a dictatorship.

Najib said that the allegations have been rebutted by Transparency International and the World Bank.

"The irony is that this 'former leader' has admitted that he himself was a dictator when in office. His words, not mine," Najib said.