Mahathir said negotiations must first be held with all communities before the government formally signs the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), amid protests from some groups who accuse supporters of the treaty of trying to undermine the constitution’s special rights for the Malays and Bumiputeras.
“There are so many races and they are sensitive about certain things,” Mahathir told reporters today.
But Mahathir said there was no use talking about Malay special rights, adding that “Malay dominance” or “Ketuanan Melayu” was meaningless if the community was not in control of the economy.
“I tell the Malays that there is no point talking about ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ if you are a coolie. If you want to be a master, you can be one, but you must have knowledge, be hardworking, don’t cheat, don’t steal,” he said.
Mahathir then took a potshot at his rival.
“Don’t follow the example of the old prime minister,” he said.
Mahathir, who earlier launched the National Policy on Industry 4.0 (Industry4WRD) at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry here, also spoke on other topics:
On investigations over land sold to Bank Negara Malaysia
“I only know that the land was sold to BNM for RM2 billion. What happens after that I do not know, where the money goes I don’t know. Obviously someone in BNM knows about it. They are investigating it.”
On special incentives and subsidies
“I was asked this question in Langkawi when we tried to tell people how to make more money. They asked me, “Are you going to give some incentives?”
We are telling them to make more money, what incentives do you want? More money is the incentive.
Everyone wants incentives, even to eat and breathe, people want incentives. It’s a mentality that is wrong.
I give up, everybody wants incentives, subsidies. Why not just take the profit, we give you money, that’s what the previous government did.
They gave money to people, they don’t have to work, don’t work also get RM500. If Malaysians become like that, very soon they can’t even think, can’t even move, can’t do anything for themselves because they are always looking out for subsidies.”
On Najib Razak saying present government lacks economic direction
“I want to join him in borrowing a few trillion dollars and then manage how to pay that back, if he can tell me how…
That should be his theme instead of trying to divert attention from his own problems.”
On Malaysia-China ties after Uighur dissidents not sent back to Beijing
“In China, I was very well received in China, we didn’t talk about that.”