Mahathir said the promises were based on scanty knowledge of the state of the country, as the coalition did not know the extent of the damage that had happened.
“We have to admit that we will take more than 100 days. But I am confident that you will understand how difficult it is to govern a country that is already damaged,” he said while addressing participants of a buka puasa event at Masjid Al-Hana here this evening.
Mahathir, who is prime minister, was elected MP for Langkawi at the May 9 general election.
He said Pakatan Harapan’s election victory had brought a great responsibility.
“We had promised the people that they will have a happier life than before”, he said. “We made promises, based on very scanty knowledge, as we did not know the damage that had been done to the country.
“Today we find that, even though we have promised to fulfil the 10 promises in 100 days, unfortunately, it is not that easily resolved.”
Yesterday, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng announced that the government would postpone five of the 10 promises in Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto.
They are: targeted petrol subsidy for cars and motorcycles; Employees Provident Fund contributions for housewives; a higher minimum wage; delayed repayment periods for National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans; and national expansion of the Selangor state government’s health scheme.