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

now pay upfront in cash for their supply of oil. These are market forces, pure and simple.
    The reputation of small Malay contractors has been blighted in the same way by incidents involving the construction of school computer laboratories. These were meant to be simple buildings wired for computers. Instead of building the laboratories themselves, the contractors sold their contracts to other contractors, who then sold the same contracts for upfront money to yet another set of contractors. This process devolved until the profit margin became negative and the contract was no longer viable. The final contractor then tried to construct the laboratories using inferior materials and, in some instances, by not paying suppliers and subcontractors. The result was either failure to complete the projects or the collapse of the building before it was even used. This problem was repeatedly highlighted in the Press and Malay contractors got a blanket reputation for being unethical and irresponsible. The reason why these things happen can be explained in one word: greed. It is the desire to get rich quickly without doing anything to deserve the wealth.
    History has in this instance proven to be a true teacher but its students have been inattentive. In the early twentieth century, the Malay Rulers did not get the revenue due to them because their Malay tax collectors pocketed much of what they collected. Along came a Chinese  towkay  who offered to guarantee a lot more tax for the Ruler if he was given the right to collect taxes for the royal house. That was common practice in those days. Gradually, opium monopolies, clove monopolies, tax collection and so on were farmed out to Chinese  towkays  because they guaranteed higher returns to the Rulers. Over time, the need for Malay administrators diminished and they became less skilled in administration, less powerful and poorer while the Chinese became richer and more influential. These lessons still need to be heeded, even today. Unless the Malays work hard, they may wake up one day to find that this country is no longer theirs, that they are dispossessed in their own land. This scenario is not farfetched. If Malays become corrupt they may be financially persuaded to elect governments that may be prepared to sell their birthright to the highest bidders, who are unlikely to be Malays.
    In making disparaging remarks and offering critical analyses about the Malays, I wanted not to insult them but to encourage a habit of self-scrutiny, which I hoped might lead to self-improvement. The Malay people have notable weaknesses and defects. But they also display many attributes in which they can take pride. Among them is the fact that Malaysia is what it is today because of how well and generously the Malays have accommodated those who have made this country their home. Many non-Malay Malaysian citizens have emigrated but there is no rancour. Those who remain are still regarded as loyal fellow citizens.
    When I became Prime Minister in 1981, Malaysia had a population of 13 million, of whom seven million were Malays. Today the population is 25 million, nearly twice the number in 1981. The proportion of Malays has increased somewhat but their contribution is not commensurate with their number. They have responded to my appeal to play a bigger role in the development of this country but they need to do more. People in developing countries all over the world speak highly of the rate of Malaysia’s progress. I am proud, but it is a pride tinged with sadness. We can do better. The Malays can do better. I know they can. In retirement, apart from appealing to them, I can do very little. I pray, but I know that Allah will not change the fate of any people unless they seriously attempt to change it themselves.
    I worry about the Malays and fear for their future, but that does not change the fact that I am proud to be a Malay. I would not want to be anything else. In earlier times a Roman, wherever he went in