I have failed to change the Malay mind: Mahathir

I have failed to change the Malay mind: Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said that his inability to create a better work ethic among fellow ethnic Malay Muslims despite affirmative action policies in their favor has been the biggest failure of his 20- year rule.

"I am sad that I will have to leave without succeeding to change the culture of Malays," The Star newspaper on Thursday quoted Mahathir as saying to government lawmakers. "I have failed to change the Malay mind."

The 75-year-old leader -- who marked 20 years in power on Monday -- heads Malaysia's largest party, which is ethnic-Malay based and has struggled to empower the traditionally poor Malays in competition against the ethnic Chinese minority.

But while supporting Malay interests as vital to maintaining racial harmony, Mahathir frequently chastises Malays for being overly dependent on affirmative-action policies and government aid.

The policies, which include soft loans, government jobs, contracts for businessmen and placements in public universities, were introduced after race riots in 1969 that left hundreds dead and were blamed on Malay resentment of Chinese wealth.

Mahathir came to power July 16, 1981, and transformed this Southeast Asian country from a backwater dependent on tin, rubber and palm oil exports into a center for electronics manufacturing and one of the wealthiest countries in the region.

The Star quoted him on Thursday as saying that despite the achievements, he felt sad over the plight of his own ethnic group.

"For the Malays, working hard is a good value but in reality they do not," Mahathir was quoted as saying in the meeting Wednesday. "It is not because they can't, but because they do not."

Mahathir was quoted by the New Straits Times newspaper as saying that the 1997 Asian economic crisis, which he blames on currency speculators trying to make a profit off the suffering of developing countries, was "the worse experience I ever had."

"I saw with my own eyes the country's wealth disappearing over a short span ... they made us poorer by 950 billion ringgit," ($250 billion), the New Straits Times quoted Mahathir as saying.

Although badly hit, Malaysia recovered more quickly than its neighbors after Mahathir ignored convention and imposed capital controls instead of seeking help from international financial institutions.

A senior aide in the prime minister's office, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, confirmed the quotes used by the newspapers as correct.

In a related development, Malaysia plans to introduce a code of conduct for university students under which they will have to guarantee good grades and regular attendance or risk expulsion, newspapers said on Thursday.

A ban on anti-government activities may also be included, Education Minister Musa Mohamad was quoted as saying.

"These students are 90 percent funded by the government. They should respect the fact that when they get a place, they should also show responsibility," he said.

The government is concerned that opposition parties are gaining support on campuses despite rules against partisan politics, and it fears rising political activism among students. The government has also drawn links between this trend and declining academic results, particularly among young Malay men.