'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