PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s democracy is dictated by popularity, as opposed to competence, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.
“Currently, Malaysia is not doing so well because those who have been elected are popular but are not necessarily competent in running the country,” he said in an interview with Nikkei Asia, adding that if leaders do not know how to govern a nation, then it cannot develop.
“Yet there is hope in the future, a new government might be formed by younger people who are better educated or better qualified to run the country.”
On the civil war in Myanmar, Mahathir said he has great hopes for the country’s future.
SPONSORED CONTENT Electrifying windows of opportunity in Sabah - The right policies, collaborations, and strategies can turn emerging opportunities into victories for all parties in Sabah. CHIEF Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor’s 2021 Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya Plan and the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) have laid out a road map to an exciting future for all Sabahans, with a target of increasing Sabah’s income levels and GDP per capita from about RM 23,000 to about RM 40,000 by 2030. Read more “The current leaders will soon find out they need to change, to bring back stability.
“Myanmar is a rich country but, unfortunately, it does not have a good government, but eventually, they will realise that they need to have a democracy,” he said.
He also commented that Chinese president Xi Jinping is “very aggressive”, but said his tenure will come to an end at some point.
“Leaders change. They don’t last forever and there will be a time for a new leader to step in, so we can expect changes when this happens,” he said.
Mahathir said Asean should not pick sides in China’s ongoing trade war with the US.
“China is a big market and we cannot lose that. If we pick one side, we will lose the market from the other.
“Asean should just let those two countries handle themselves and not get involved,” he said.
* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
* Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.