http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/60162-dr-m-dont-put-apco-bill-on-my-tab
By Debra Chong

Dr Mahathir said the US had never shown displeasure at his administration. — file pic

KUALALUMPUR, April 16 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today he disagrees withthe Najib administration for spending a whopping RM76 million toarrange a meeting between the prime minister and US President BarackObama earlier this week.
“Meeting is good but to say this money is spent because of whathappened in the past, I don’t think is good,” the former premier said,rubbishing claims the government needed to spend the enormous sum ofmoney.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Azizhad disclosed this week the amount paid to global public relationsfirm, APCO Worldwide, and claimed it was necessary to “repair”Malaysia-US ties strained during his 22-year rule from 1981 to 2003.
“I don’t care,” Dr Mahathir said, when asked to comment on Nazri’s charge.
“Whether the ties are good or bad, the fact is the US has not doneanything that would show they were offended by us,” he added, citingthe absence of official US complaints lodged with his administration.
Dr Mahathir also pointed out that investments from the US continued to flow into Malaysia.
“We did not get anything from the US,” he claimed, but was quick tomake an exception that the world military superpower had given “onemillion US dollars” (RM3.2 million at current rates) to Malaysia “forthe training of our armed forces”.
“They want it back? We have one million US dollars,” he quipped.
Dr Mahathir was speaking to reporters after delivering a keynotespeech here, in conjunction with the 44th anniversary celebration ofMajlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), a government agency formed to aid theindigenous community.
He appeared disinterested in continuing the subject, noting that hewas no longer in power. He noted that the Najib administration had theauthority to do as it sees fit with federal funds.
“If I’m in power, I have my own way of doing things,” he said with a smile, capping the subject.