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Dr Mahathir at 100: Still haunted by the Malay Dilemma

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Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in an interview with The Straits Times in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on July 8.

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in an interview with The Straits Times in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on July 8.

ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

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  • Dr Mahathir still advises and aims to unite Malays, feeling his suggestions are possible, despite past political defeats and limited success.
  • He regrets resigning as premier in 2003 and believes his successors wasted 17 years, admitting flaws in choosing them, including current leader Anwar.
  • He blames the "Malay mentality" for economic disparity, referencing his 1970 book and the limitations of the New Economic Policy.

AI generated

- As he turns 100, Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has acknowledged a flaw.

“Maybe I am not so good at communicating,” he told The Straits Times on July 8, just two days shy of becoming a centenarian.

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