In an exclusive interview with WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma, former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad said that Zakir Naik who has been charged in India with money laundering and inciting terrorism&nbsp;won't be extradited since he felt the fundamentalist Islamic preacher "will not be safe from the Indian public."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-making-claims-in-south-china-sea-but-we-cannot-go-to-war-says-mahathir-mohamad-to-wion-318909">Also Read:&nbsp;China making claims in South China Sea but we cannot go to war, says Mahathir Mohamad to WION</a>

"The situation in India with regard to the Muslim-Hindu relationship is not so good. There have been cases of people being lynched. So, he is, I think not very welcome in India," the former Malaysian prime minister told WION.

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Will Malaysia extradite Zakir Naik if Mahathir Mohamad returns to power? 
 
Listen in to what former Malaysian prime minister <a href="https://twitter.com/chedetofficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chedetofficial</a> told <a href="https://twitter.com/palkisu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@palkisu</a> in an exclusive interview<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MahathirMohamadOnWION?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MahathirMohamadOnWION</a> <a href="https://t.co/jirK1L0aXl">pic.twitter.com/jirK1L0aXl</a>
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"We thought that for the time being he can stay here but we would like to send him to some other country where he would be safe," Mahathir Mohamad said, adding,"unfortunately, not many countries are willing to accept him."

India's Enforcement Directorate(ED) had filed a case against Naik accusing him of promoting religious hatred and unlawful activity. Naik had fled to Malaysia in 2017.

When reminded that the Indian government had asked for Naik's extradition, Mahathir Mohamad made a sweeping remark, asserting, "The government is one thing, the people have got different ideas. Sometimes the people act rather roughly on Muslims in India."

In fact, Mahathir Mohamad asserted that he would send Naik&nbsp;anywhere but India although conceding that "not many countries are willing to accept him."

Zakir Naik was banned from entering the UK in 2010 for "unacceptable behaviour" and for making inflammatory speeches.

In 2016, during the Dhaka cafe attack, Bangladesh media had reported that one of the terrorists was inspired by Zakir Naik's speeches as the Bangladeshi government moved to ban his Peace TV network.

In an exclusive interview with WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma, former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad said that Zakir Naik who has been charged in India with money laundering and inciting terrorism won't be extradited since he felt the fundamentalist Islamic preacher "will not be safe from the Indian public.

In an exclusive interview with WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma, former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad said that Zakir Naik who has been charged in India with money laundering and inciting terrorism won't be extradited since he felt the fundamentalist Islamic preacher "will not be safe from the Indian public." Also Read: China making claims in South China Sea but we cannot go to war, says Mahathir Mohamad to WION "The situation in India with regard to the Muslim-Hindu relationship is not so good. There have been cases of people being lynched. So, he is, I think not very welcome in India," the former Malaysian prime minister told WION. Will Malaysia extradite Zakir Naik if Mahathir Mohamad returns to power? Listen in to what former Malaysian prime minister @chedetofficial told @palkisu in an exclusive interview#MahathirMohamadOnWION pic.twitter.com/jirK1L0aXl — WION (@WIONews) August 7, 2020 × "We thought that for the time being he can stay here but we would like to send him to some other country where he would be safe," Mahathir Mohamad said, adding,"unfortunately, not many countries are willing to accept him." India's Enforcement Directorate(ED) had filed a case against Naik accusing him of promoting religious hatred and unlawful activity. Naik had fled to Malaysia in 2017. When reminded that the Indian government had asked for Naik's extradition, Mahathir Mohamad made a sweeping remark, asserting, "The government is one thing, the people have got different ideas. Sometimes the people act rather roughly on Muslims in India." In fact, Mahathir Mohamad asserted that he would send Naik anywhere but India although conceding that "not many countries are willing to accept him." Zakir Naik was banned from entering the UK in 2010 for "unacceptable behaviour" and for making inflammatory speeches. In 2016, during the Dhaka cafe attack, Bangladesh media had reported that one of the terrorists was inspired by Zakir Naik's speeches as the Bangladeshi government moved to ban his Peace TV network.

Would like to send Zakir Naik to some country where he will be safe, says Mahathir Mohamad to WION

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad spoke to Executive Editor Palki Sharma as part of WION's Global Leadership Series. In an exclusive interview, the former Malaysian prime minister spoke on a variety of things including Zakir Naik, China's role in Asia, Pakistan and PM Imran Khan and his relations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

China making claims in South China Sea but we cannot go to war, says Mahathir Mohamad to WION

Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said Tuesday the government plans to new tax measures to help raise funds to pay off national debts that have snowballed due to corruption under the previous government.

Lim said it will take the government three years to resolve its fiscal woes due to more than 1 trillion ringgit ($ 240.5 billion) in debt and another 35 billion ringgit ($ 8.4 billion) in newly discovered unpaid tax refunds that were not disclosed by the previous government.

"Fiscal consolidation will not be achieved easily, and we must be willing to expect some pain and even offer some sacrifice. We would need 3 years to resolve the fiscal issues," Lim told an economic forum.&nbsp;

He didn't give details of the tax measures but said these will be announced in the 2019 federal budget that will be unveiled November 2.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told the forum the fiscal problems have turned Malaysia from an Asian tiger into a "small kitten."&nbsp;

"It is going to be tough for the government because it inherited a country that is completely disoriented," said Mahathir, who was elected a second time to become the world's oldest leader at 93.&nbsp;

"We may have to devise new taxes in order to have the money to pay our debts. Of course, the other thing we can do is to sell our assets."&nbsp;

Anger over massive corruption at the 1MDB state investment fund prompted Mahathir who led Malaysia for 22 years until 2003 to make a political comeback and turn on his former party.&nbsp;

Mahathir's alliance won a stunning victory in May 9 elections to oust scandal-tainted former Prime Minister Najib Razak, ushering in the country's first change of power since independence from Britain in 1957.

The country's huge debt is partly due to losses from the 1MDB fund set up by Najib that led voters to abandon him, and sparked investigations in the US and several other countries.&nbsp;

US investigators say Najib's associates stole and laundered at least $ 4.5 billion from the fund.

Najib and his wife Rosmah have been charged with multiple counts of corruption and money laundering linked to 1MDB, after Mahathir reopened investigations into the fund that were suppressed during Najib's rule.&nbsp;

The couple have both pled not guilty and Najib has accused the government of seeking political vengeance against his family.

The new government has reviewed large infrastructure projects, including Chinese investment, to cut costs. It also is seeking ways to bolster revenues to pay off debts and plug deficits expected after it scrapped an unpopular goods and services tax.

Lim said the government may sell its equity in state-owned companies to raise funds but will aim to strike a balance between fiscal consolidation and ensuring productive spending and investment.

"While it is imperative for the government to be prudent with our expenditure, we are equally cognizant that we must not fall into the austerity trap. What we want is merely to get a bigger bang for the buck," Lim said at the forum.

Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said Tuesday the government plans to new tax measures to help raise funds to pay off national debts that have snowballed due to corruption under the previous government.

Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said Tuesday the government plans to new tax measures to help raise funds to pay off national debts that have snowballed due to corruption under the previous government. Lim said it will take the government three years to resolve its fiscal woes due to more than 1 trillion ringgit ($ 240.5 billion) in debt and another 35 billion ringgit ($ 8.4 billion) in newly discovered unpaid tax refunds that were not disclosed by the previous government. "Fiscal consolidation will not be achieved easily, and we must be willing to expect some pain and even offer some sacrifice. We would need 3 years to resolve the fiscal issues," Lim told an economic forum. He didn't give details of the tax measures but said these will be announced in the 2019 federal budget that will be unveiled November 2. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told the forum the fiscal problems have turned Malaysia from an Asian tiger into a "small kitten." "It is going to be tough for the government because it inherited a country that is completely disoriented," said Mahathir, who was elected a second time to become the world's oldest leader at 93. "We may have to devise new taxes in order to have the money to pay our debts. Of course, the other thing we can do is to sell our assets." Anger over massive corruption at the 1MDB state investment fund prompted Mahathir who led Malaysia for 22 years until 2003 to make a political comeback and turn on his former party. Mahathir's alliance won a stunning victory in May 9 elections to oust scandal-tainted former Prime Minister Najib Razak, ushering in the country's first change of power since independence from Britain in 1957. The country's huge debt is partly due to losses from the 1MDB fund set up by Najib that led voters to abandon him, and sparked investigations in the US and several other countries. US investigators say Najib's associates stole and laundered at least $ 4.5 billion from the fund. Najib and his wife Rosmah have been charged with multiple counts of corruption and money laundering linked to 1MDB, after Mahathir reopened investigations into the fund that were suppressed during Najib's rule. The couple have both pled not guilty and Najib has accused the government of seeking political vengeance against his family. The new government has reviewed large infrastructure projects, including Chinese investment, to cut costs. It also is seeking ways to bolster revenues to pay off debts and plug deficits expected after it scrapped an unpopular goods and services tax. Lim said the government may sell its equity in state-owned companies to raise funds but will aim to strike a balance between fiscal consolidation and ensuring productive spending and investment. "While it is imperative for the government to be prudent with our expenditure, we are equally cognizant that we must not fall into the austerity trap. What we want is merely to get a bigger bang for the buck," Lim said at the forum.

Malaysia plans new taxes to help pay off snowballing debt