Mahathir claims he's overworked, underpaid

Mahathir claims he's overworked, underpaid

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he is overworked and underpaid, reacting to critics who call him extravagant, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

Mahathir, Asia's longest-serving ruler, said on Saturday that his salary, which totaled 16,000 ringgit (US$4,210) a month, barely befitted his hours of toil.

"I work practically 24 hours a day," he said. "If I claim overtime and add that up, I think the government owes me millions of dollars," he said. Mahathir has lead Malaysia since 1981.

Opposition leaders have criticized Mahathir recently for wasting taxpayers' money by neglecting his government duties and spending too much time handling the affairs of his ruling United Malays National Organization.

They also said that the Malaysian leader's penchant for high- tech, costly projects has undermined the welfare of the country's poor and underprivileged.