'Mahathir's views must be studied'

'Mahathir's views must be studied'

MALAYSIA: Students at a Malaysian university must take a mandatory course starting next year to familiarize them with outgoing Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's thoughts on topics such as globalization, economic management and Islam, an official said on Tuesday.

More than 100,000 undergraduates at the state-funded Mara University of Technology's 14 campuses nationwide will study a collection of Mahathir's speeches and essays when the next academic year begins in May, said the institution's vice chancellor, Ibrahim Abu Shah.

"We hope the students would be able to become better members of society and future leaders by taking this subject," Ibrahim was quoted as saying by the national news agency, Bernama.

The course is based on a series of 14 books published earlier this year that compile Mahathir's opinions about politics and democracy in Asia, globalization, Islamic development and other issues.

Mahathir, Asia's longest-serving elected leader, is scheduled to retire at the end of October after a 22-year rule that has spurred Malaysia's rise from a tin- and rubber-producing backwater into one of the region's wealthiest, most industrialized nations. -- AP