“Leaders who are not good cause problems.

“At one time, Germany had Hitler. They were a civilised race but because their leadership was under attack, because their leader asked them to do something that was not good, they went to war,” he said, adding that the war saw Germans losing badly.

He said a wrong leader would destroy people while one with moral values could further develop the nation.

Mahathir also cited Peter The Great, the 17th-century emperor of all Russia.

“During that era, some nations were left behind while others were far more advanced.

“The Russians were left behind. However, Peter the Great ensured that they were skilful in every field until they became a recognised force in the world,” he said at the Malaysia Future Leaders School Alumni Convention at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), attended by more than 1,000 students.

He said it was the same in Malaysia where a good leader could bring the nation forward.

Because of that, he said the nation needs to train capable leaders.

“Leaders need to control their emotions. In the long run, some leaders may fall because of their emotions. That is why some leaders fail and some succeed.

“There are some leaders who abuse their powers and, due to that, action is taken against them, ” he said.

He urged the students to review the behaviour of leaders worldwide and to do this as a case study.