After spending 22 years trying to change the Malay mindset, Mahathir says they are still dishonest, lazy and lack integrity.
PETALING JAYA: In a no holds barred message at a book launch, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he found it hard to trust Malays because they lacked a sense of honesty and integrity.
Mahathir said, “Malays think nothing of taking money that is not theirs. I have seen it with my own eyes. They also struggle to manage their finances well or with any degree of honesty.”
He added, ”If you take something that does not belong to you, what you are doing in essence, is stealing.”
He said some Malays had the bad attitude of pinching money from their bosses and thinking nothing of it simply because what the boss didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him.
Mahathir related how his own mother instilled in him the principle of never taking what was not his.
“I can only hope the people have the presence of mind to put honesty and integrity before all else in their lives as well,” he said.
Mahathir also said he was saddened at his apparent failure to change the Malay mindset despite trying to do so for 22 years as the nation’s premier.
He said he tried hard to change the perception that Malays were lazy but that if someone asked him today what his opinion of Malays were, he would say in all honestly that he thought Malays were lazy.
Mahathir gave this sobering speech at the launch of the book “Wahai Melayu” by Anas Zubedy.
Mahathir said, “Malays think nothing of taking money that is not theirs. I have seen it with my own eyes. They also struggle to manage their finances well or with any degree of honesty.”
He added, ”If you take something that does not belong to you, what you are doing in essence, is stealing.”
He said some Malays had the bad attitude of pinching money from their bosses and thinking nothing of it simply because what the boss didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him.
Mahathir related how his own mother instilled in him the principle of never taking what was not his.
“I can only hope the people have the presence of mind to put honesty and integrity before all else in their lives as well,” he said.
Mahathir also said he was saddened at his apparent failure to change the Malay mindset despite trying to do so for 22 years as the nation’s premier.
He said he tried hard to change the perception that Malays were lazy but that if someone asked him today what his opinion of Malays were, he would say in all honestly that he thought Malays were lazy.
Mahathir gave this sobering speech at the launch of the book “Wahai Melayu” by Anas Zubedy.
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