SHAH ALAM: The Malays and Bumiputeras must work harder to compete with the other races in the country, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said now, the fact was that many Malays and Bumiputeras had difficult lives and lived in rural areas even though they had political power.
“In our own country, we (Malays and Bumiputeras) have retreated far from conurbations and many of us are from poor families.
“Yes, today we are powerful politically and with this power, we can extend a little assistance to the Malays and Bumiputeras, think about it… but if we do not have political power and we are not given special privileges it will mean that we will be poorer than we are now,” he said when opening the Bumiputera Education and Entrepreneurship Carnival 2018 at Dewan Agung Tuanku Canselor, UiTM here tonight.
Also present was Dr Mahathir’s wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Putra chairman Datuk Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen and UiTM vice-chancellor Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Hassan Said.
Dr Mahathir pointed out that despite living in their own country and being given assistance, the Malays and Bumiputeras are still lagging behind.
"We see foreigners who came to settle in our country becoming more progressive as they laboured, worked hard, they studied in various fields and were educated. We find that they are now controlling our country's economy, what is the reason?
“Are the Malays stupid? I do not believe so as they have the same abilities as others but intelligence alone without effort will not produce success. We are competent, we are smart, we are good but if there is no effort, we will not succeed.
“If we realise we are lagging behind and are embarrassed as to why we are left behind in our own country then we should try to endeavour to make ourselves successful like other people. If we are behind, we have to run faster than the people in front," he said.
In this regard, the prime minister also reminded the Malays and Bumiputeras to be grateful to live in a peaceful and harmonious country.