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.