PUTRAJAYA: Foreign workers will be a fourth force in the country if Malaysians continue to refuse jobs in sectors dominated by them, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
With two million Bangladeshis taking up jobs in Malaysia, they would soon be the fourth largest ethnic group after the Malays, Chinese and Indians here, said the Prime Minister.
“When locals refuse to do the job, others will come.
“Way back during the British occupation, they brought in others (from India and China) because locals refused to work in rubber estates and mines,” he said.
He said this in response to a question raised during the “Youths Ask Tun Answers” dialogue session at Perdana Leadership Foundation here on Sunday (April 14).
Dr Mahathir told the crowd that he regarded the Prophet Muhammad and Peter the Great of Russia as his role models as they succeeded in re-shaping the mindset of the masses.
Likewise, he said Malaysians need to change their mindset so that they are driven to succeed on their own without being dependant on the government.
“Giving monetary aid would only weaken them.
“We need to inculcate the right values. Through discipline and hard work, we can make greater advancements,” he said.
Dr Mahathir also stressed the need to re-introduce English as the language of instruction for Mathematics and Science so that Malaysians could master the field of science and technology.
“We do not even have the technology to develop our own weapons for national defence,” he added.
