Mahathir bin Mohamed

Mahathir bin Mohamed (1925 - ) Malaysian politician and former Prime Minister

Attributed

On Bumiputras

• We have tried to tell them if you depend on subsidies, you are going to be very weak. But they don’t seem to understand. We tell them if you use crutches, you will not be able to stand up. Throw away the crutches, stand up straight because you still have the capacity.

• I have talked about this thing and as a doctor I know very well the meaning of crutches but somehow or rather they want the easy way out. If I get an AP and I sell it and make some money, it’s all right, they say.

• The great debacle was the computer labs. We tried to help as many people as possible because we were accused of giving things to only a selected few. But every one of them sold their contracts. Sold and sold and sold until finally the last man could not sell and had to do the work. He then found he would make terrible losses and so he tried to cut corners, used bad materials and the labs collapsed.

• They know it, they see it right before their eyes but they learn nothing. Next time they will do it again.

• Why is this only happening to Malay graduates and not Chinese graduates? The reason is probably the Chinese graduates choose the right subjects so they are employable. We find that the Malay graduates, especially those from the Malay stream, can’t speak English at all. No matter how much value you put on a certificate, the fact remains that an employer wants somebody with whom he can communicate. The employer is not Malay, he is a foreigner. And if he’s not going to be able to communicate with you, he will not take you.

• There is also attitude. There are some who start off by demanding good pay. Obviously, if you ask how much even before he has decided to take you, he won’t think you have the right attitude for the job. So there are many reasons why the Malay graduates are not being employed.

• I remember we got companies to hire unemployed Malay graduates and pay them RM400 each. But when they got the job, they refused to do anything because it was not their line and they didn’t want to learn. They were just marking time, waiting for the kind of job they were interested in. Obviously, these people do not have the right attitude towards work.

• You (the media) should do a survey. Ask them why they are unemployed; have they ever received any offer; did they make an application, did they apply only for jobs they were qualified for or for other jobs; are they prepared to accept lower pay? Some kind of survey should be carried out, then we will know the real reasons.