Here's an excerpt of the Bernama report on former Prime Minster Dr Mahathir Mohamad's interview in "Hard Talk" aired by BBC in London, Monday.
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"I am not anti-western, I'm against the bad things done by the western countries."
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that he is not anti-Western but will continue to speak up about their wrongdoings against other people.
"I am not anti-western, I'm against the bad things done by the western countries."
He said the Westerners, especially the British, had given the Malays many negative labels like lazy and incompetent, and expected them to like it.
"I am not anti-western, I'm against the bad things done by the western countries."
He said the Westerners, especially the British, had given the Malays many negative labels like lazy and incompetent, and expected them to like it.
He stressed that therefore, the Western people should also be ready to hear what others think of them.
"The British used to call us lazy Malays, incompetent Malays, untrustworthy Malays. We couldn't say a thing about you, so when I was in a position to say what I think about you, and then said it, you don't like it. When you say it to us, you expect us to like it, we don't like it but we don't have a way for our voice to be heard."
He admitted saying that Anglo-Saxon Europeans were proponents of war, slavery and the holocaust.
"Which is true... I am stating a fact. This is their character and I will continue to say so," he said.
On democracy, Dr Mahathir:
"It is not necessary that the system will work for everybody, but if they have a bad leader, even a democratic system will fail.
"You must remember that it is a democratic country that dropped the atomic bombs killing more than 200,000 people."
He said if one were to look at the history of the West, they would find that the Westerners normally came up with all kinds of ideologies.
"They used it for some time and then they found it to be defective. They dump it and they start on another.
"One day, they are going to forget about democracy because in some countries, democracy usually ends up with anarchy, and there is practically no government."
Dr Mahathir said democracy was not a system that could fit everybody.
"The British used to call us lazy Malays, incompetent Malays, untrustworthy Malays. We couldn't say a thing about you, so when I was in a position to say what I think about you, and then said it, you don't like it. When you say it to us, you expect us to like it, we don't like it but we don't have a way for our voice to be heard."
He admitted saying that Anglo-Saxon Europeans were proponents of war, slavery and the holocaust.
"Which is true... I am stating a fact. This is their character and I will continue to say so," he said.
On democracy, Dr Mahathir:
"It is not necessary that the system will work for everybody, but if they have a bad leader, even a democratic system will fail.
"You must remember that it is a democratic country that dropped the atomic bombs killing more than 200,000 people."
He said if one were to look at the history of the West, they would find that the Westerners normally came up with all kinds of ideologies.
"They used it for some time and then they found it to be defective. They dump it and they start on another.
"One day, they are going to forget about democracy because in some countries, democracy usually ends up with anarchy, and there is practically no government."
Dr Mahathir said democracy was not a system that could fit everybody.
"You must have a certain understanding of the limitation of democracy in order for it to work."
Asked to comment on the recent general election result where the ruling party lost five wealthy states to the opposition coalition allegedly due to the racial division pursued by him during his tenure.
"I know that was a wishful thinking on the part of foreign critics but the fact is that in this election result, it is due to the dissatisfaction on the part of the ruling party's supporters with the present decisions."
On the New Economic Policy which was said to be the cause of the loss, he said that it was a necessary step to correct the imbalances that existed since the British days.
On questions regarding Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Dr Mahathir said if Anwar were to become the new Prime Minister, he was welcomed to conduct a full and thorough inquiry on his (Dr Mahathir's) so-called misdeeds.
"Well, he is welcomed to do so, but I hope that he finds people who are neutral, who are impartial, probably foreigners because I don't trust people they are putting in charge of the people they don't like."
Dr Mahathir was also asked whether he regretted what he did to Anwar.
"Why should I regret, he was arrested under the laws of the country, he was tried and sentenced by the court, if he was not wrong, I don't think no matter what you think about the our judiciary, I don't think he would have been sentenced to prison."
On the judicial system in Malaysia, Dr Mahathir vehemently denied that he appointed judges in the Supreme Court and stressed that he always had faith in the system.
"I didn't appoint the judges, the judges were recommended by the chief justice, and my duty is to check whether they had any record or not, and after that it was presented to the King who then appoint the judges."
On the move by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to make ex-gratia payments to judges removed during his time, he said:
"It's a political move, something a man who is very unpopular now wanting to show that he has to do something right."
Dr Mahathir also accused Abdullah of making use of the system in the worst ways.
"Nobody can say anything against him, he has newspapers who duly report about him and how great he is, and he was misled by his own supporters into believing that he would win big in the recent election."
Asked why he chose Abdullah as his predecessor, Dr Mahathir said:
"These people, they are very smart in hiding their true character, he was known as Mr Clean and I thought I should appoint a clean person to succeed me... although he was not the one with the highest votes (as vice president) in the party but I thought that he was older and I appointed him thinking that he is not going to do anything very wrong. "
He was also asked why he could not keep quiet after he retired.
"Why should I, they are doing something very bad to my country and I should not let it happen.
Asked to comment on the recent general election result where the ruling party lost five wealthy states to the opposition coalition allegedly due to the racial division pursued by him during his tenure.
"I know that was a wishful thinking on the part of foreign critics but the fact is that in this election result, it is due to the dissatisfaction on the part of the ruling party's supporters with the present decisions."
On the New Economic Policy which was said to be the cause of the loss, he said that it was a necessary step to correct the imbalances that existed since the British days.
On questions regarding Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Dr Mahathir said if Anwar were to become the new Prime Minister, he was welcomed to conduct a full and thorough inquiry on his (Dr Mahathir's) so-called misdeeds.
"Well, he is welcomed to do so, but I hope that he finds people who are neutral, who are impartial, probably foreigners because I don't trust people they are putting in charge of the people they don't like."
Dr Mahathir was also asked whether he regretted what he did to Anwar.
"Why should I regret, he was arrested under the laws of the country, he was tried and sentenced by the court, if he was not wrong, I don't think no matter what you think about the our judiciary, I don't think he would have been sentenced to prison."
On the judicial system in Malaysia, Dr Mahathir vehemently denied that he appointed judges in the Supreme Court and stressed that he always had faith in the system.
"I didn't appoint the judges, the judges were recommended by the chief justice, and my duty is to check whether they had any record or not, and after that it was presented to the King who then appoint the judges."
On the move by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to make ex-gratia payments to judges removed during his time, he said:
"It's a political move, something a man who is very unpopular now wanting to show that he has to do something right."
Dr Mahathir also accused Abdullah of making use of the system in the worst ways.
"Nobody can say anything against him, he has newspapers who duly report about him and how great he is, and he was misled by his own supporters into believing that he would win big in the recent election."
Asked why he chose Abdullah as his predecessor, Dr Mahathir said:
"These people, they are very smart in hiding their true character, he was known as Mr Clean and I thought I should appoint a clean person to succeed me... although he was not the one with the highest votes (as vice president) in the party but I thought that he was older and I appointed him thinking that he is not going to do anything very wrong. "
He was also asked why he could not keep quiet after he retired.
"Why should I, they are doing something very bad to my country and I should not let it happen.
"I would be irresponsible if I do that."
Go to bigdog's Tun Mahathir on Hard Talk.
(I sat through the programme. Say what you like and all you want about Dr M, but he was certainly his witty self. I don't believe any of the current cabinet members could perform better, let alone you-know-who.)
13 comments:
...but there must be something wrong. forcing the media to write and publish only what the pm / gov wants everyone to hear and know, the last time i read of such thing - it came from a communist country, all those rubbish propaganda. so, i must have mistaken, is this a democratic or communist country?
Kak Ton
I've watched the programme online. Dr M surely is still speaking his mind, and very loud and clear too! Certainly not as "nyanyuk" as some people have claimed him to be.
Michelle
You are right. Absoultely right. No one in UMNO or outside UMNO can get close to Tun. If we were to make Tun as the benchmark as a PM, we would not have any PM by now.
Having said that, I believe that Tun has his own weakness(es) which make him not a great leader. I wrote about it in my blog.
http://www.rozaimims.blogspot.com
I hope he not "nyanyuk (Pelupa)"!!!
Cruel and evil, but still people still love him..I still cannot understand why Malaysian cannot realise the truth.. Maybe because our education system teach us to follow our leader ass.. No wonder laa....
I salute you Tun. You make me feel proud to be a Malaysian.
Mahathir sure has the most selective' mind. In the western media interviews his recall seems to work perfectly. But, curiously, when it came to recalling events in the Malaysian courts, this same mind of his , suddenly became faulty.
In one part of the 'HardTalk' interview, Mahathir seemed to be rattled and in another, he seemed uncomfortable. That was the first occasion, such signs could be detected.
That's the leader we want back!!! Dr. M is the man!!
Fully agree with your comment!
No one…i repeat NO ONE! can bring Malaysia into World’s perspectives better than Tun Mahathir Mohamad. No one can stand on top leadership, styles and health for 22 years long; bringing prosperity, harmony and unity to all Malaysian of all religions and races other than Tun himself. Majority of 27mil Malaysian appreciate him. Majority of 27mil Malaysian love him and still do. Regardless of the authorities and powers he had; the SOLE REASON for him to still be in 22 years in charged of this great country, is because of 27mil majority Malaysian want him. While the spoiled minority and sector of gullible lots, can and will criticized Tun Mahathir, they cant deny the right and wishes of the majority Malaysian. Say what you ‘bad-apples’ scums wanted to, the very reason for you not getting what you wanted (on Tun Mahathir), was because you were for that 22 long years representing and sitting on the wrong side of the wishes of many. How many?? Enough to put Tun Mahathir back into active politic subsequently,head of Malaysian government, if Tun wishes to NOW. That many! What numbers?? Go Einstein and do the simple math yourself.
Tun had his good and bad. So did anyone else. But for whatever his ‘bads’ are, the ‘goods’ have done much and greater in making this prosperous country called Malaysia, a place you, me, they and them can peacefully and proudly called HOME. Even foreigners would have no qualm in choosing Malaysia over her other neighboring countries, as their second and/or retirement homes. Although Tun criticized a lot of the Western nations; that nonchalance perspective of many foreigners in accepting Malaysia, is the true definitions (and recognitions) of what Malaysia and Tun’s 22 years in power, have brought since its humble acceptance into the world communities 50 years ago. From a nation full of despairs and treacherously among races, to the one that are today living peacefully, prosperously and united under all sorts of workmanships, leaderships and beliefs. If one cant accept this, then open your heart and realised it. If you cant realise it either, than stop patronizing your good-self as true beloving Malaysian so that you can still live in those clouded judgment of yours, sadly ever after. Because majority of the 27mil Malaysian know, without Tun’s 22 years, Malaysia is NOTHING. And we thank him for that.
well said, wakmasnoor!
Hi Aunty Maria,
This comment no kaitan with your post =)
Wanted to thank you for the lovely time at your house yesterday. I already sent the photos out and posted them on my blog. Just wanted to check about your email because I am not sure if I got the right one!
See you round...=)
Many writers seem to be very taken up by Mahathir's style and confidence. What should be of more concern should be the truth!
His supporters don't seem to realise he has always used the style and the confidence to sidetrack the truth. He is the master of evasion!
kak maria,
hear hear!
what you say rings true. can even compare with how DSAI fared in hardtalk may 2007;
can be viewed in this link:
http://tunkuaisha.blogspot.com/2008/04/tun-mahathir-interview-with-bbc.html
tdm still is the master of fiery interviews!
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