The Malays are spiritually inclined, tolerant, and easy-going. The non-Malays, and especially the Chinese, are materialistic, aggressive, and have an appetite for work. For equality to come about, it is necessary that these strikingly contrasting races adjust to each other.
As far as Malaysia is concerned, Singapore is a foreign country.
I cannot accept this country being destroyed by selfish people who only think about themselves.
As a doctor, you are out on call most nights, so you don’t get continuous sleep, and that becomes something that is familiar to you. So, working hard doesn’t bother me.
When I was first named as Deputy Prime Minister, there was a feeling of shock that I should be chosen because I was labeled as being an ultra and very anti-Chinese.
I don’t care how sacred is freedom, but I think the time has come for governments, at least the Malaysian government, to censor the Internet.
Being a medical practitioner enables me to get in touch with people, understand their problems, feel sympathetic towards them, and the natural thing is to want to help them, and if you become a politician and if you are successful, you can help them even more.
Affirmative action is not something that the World Bank believes in or promotes.
I achieved too little result from my principal task, the task of making my race a race that is respected, a race that is honourable, a race that is highly regarded.
I cannot accept this country being destroyed by selfish people who only think about themselves.
I am the first authoritarian government elected to become a dictator and then resigning as a dictator. So this is the first dictator in the world who has resigned while still quite healthy.
Doctors look after me. But, basically, I look after myself. I don’t overeat. I don’t develop a big paunch. I do a little bit of exercise. At the same time, I believe that if you don’t work, you will decay. The decay process is through not using your faculties – not using your brain, not using your body.
I achieved too little result from my principal task, the task of making my race a race that is respected, a race that is honourable, a race that is highly regarded.
You can be a liberal and accept same-sex marriage and all that, but that’s your business.
I believe that every leader has a right to implement his own policy. But when I see things that are done that are not right – abuse of power, wrong approaches, wrong strategies, making use of foreign consultants, including those discarded by other countries – I feel that I have to have my say.
Malaysia is particularly sensitive: we have three races here and 29 different tribes. If you allow people to say what they like, there will be violence, confrontations, and all that. We need stability.
I’ve had quite a long time in government, and I’ve learned a few things.
The West only talks about how you can militarily defeat the terrorists, but terrorists are very difficult to defeat because they can appear anywhere.
There are certain things that we can deal with by following the rules. But at times, we find the rules restrict you from doing the right things. On such occasions, we have to rethink – either you change the rules or break the rules.
Sudden change, even if it is for the good, is disruptive.
Corruption is found everywhere. I admit there is some corruption in my staff – not me.
There’s no point in treating a currency like a commodity, devaluing it artificially and causing a lot of poverty among poor countries.
The thinning of the ozone layer is blamed on logging of tropical forests. The fact that the burning of fossil fuels and release of CFCs (chloro-fluoro-carbons) into the atmosphere occur largely in the rich countries are significantly ignored.
All leaders must have some power. Without power, you can’t be a leader.
All leaders must have some power. Without power, you can’t be a leader.
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