A Doctor in The House: A Memoir of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Read Free Book Online Page A

while the NEP has done much good to those who were ready to make an effort to realise the possibilities it offered, it has also created a disabling culture of entitlement among many other Malays with less wholesome values and motivations. So, while the NEP has produced a number of Malays with good ethical values, many more have been weakened by the privileges that come with positive discrimination. I fear for our coming generations. I worry that the children of those who have made it good will take the policy for granted and never learn to be intellectually and economically self-reliant. At the risk of being more unpopular, I will continue to press, goad and cajole them with the idea of making them stand tall.
    I believe firmly in leadership by example. In my own code of behaviour, I make a point of refusing typical Malay stereotypes by practising the values which I want the Malays to adopt. For instance, I have often been asked where I get my energy. The general perception is that Malays are incapable of working hard. To correct this notion, throughout my 22 years as Prime Minister, I never took the full leave I was entitled to. Returning from visits abroad, I would go back to the office the same day. My working hours were longer than those of most government employees and Ministers. I did not play golf, I seldom watched such games as football or badminton and I rode horses only once a week. What drove me was the simple fact that I enjoyed working. When I was Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister, what I looked forward to most was seeing the results of my ideas, policies and directives taking shape: to see what I had glimpsed in my imagination become reality.
    When I saw how the trainees, who went through programmes facilitated by the Look East Policy [11]  were sought after, I was gratified. I saw that this new generation of Malaysians did not display the usual diffidence. I saw how highly regarded they became outside Malaysia. I had to work hard myself in order to impress on everyone, the Malays in particular, the virtue of hard work. They had to be made to understand that this was the only way to succeed in life and develop the country. I am always in a hurry to see results. This is uncommon for a Malay. If only our whole community would do this, success would be the natural outcome. And the harder you work, the earlier you get to see results. There are many reasons, of course, for my intense drive. After closely studying the history of Malaya I recognise how greatly the industriousness of the Chinese and Indians has contributed to Malaysia’s remarkable success.  
    In commerce Malay acumen and work ethics leave much to be desired. They do not seem to realise that prompt repayment of loans and creditworthiness are prerequisites for commercial growth. Many borrow money for business purposes but use only half the loan for genuine business activities, effectively doubling their interest rate. With half the capital, it is difficult to make enough to repay the whole loan. When this happens, they have no choice but to cut corners and deliver inferior work. They then lose the trust of their customers, banks and subcontractors. They get blacklisted and all other Malays get tarred with the same brush. A petrol service operator I once met invested his cash earnings in another business. That business failed and he was unable to pay for the stock of oil he had obtained on credit. After he failed to pay several times, the supplier started demanding cash payments. The operator had no more cash and could not raise another loan from his bank. He finally lost his service station business. I got to know about this because he appealed to me directly to instruct the oil company to let him continue operating the station. When I made enquiries about his case, I found that he had not been paying for his petrol supply. It appears he was not the only one who did this. Because of a few bad eggs, Malay service station operators must