KUALA LUMPUR: Hard work, knowledge and keeping to one’s word are quintessential values to achieve success, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.
The prime minister gave Malaysians a lesson in history to remind them about the importance of inculcating these values to be on the right path.
Reflecting on his own achievements, Dr Mahathir said he only managed to get moderate results for his then Malaysian Certificate of Education (MCE) examination but he pressed on because he was afraid of being considered a failure.
“I was not the best student...I only got 3As for my MCE. In Singapore some of my batch mates had up to 9A’s.
“I was so scared when I heard about their achievements. Some of them heard about my scores and they told me go pack your bags, this is no place for you.
“I was however too embarrassed to go back and because I realized I was weak. I worked harder, I read my text books at least 10 times.”
Dr Mahathir said this in his keynote address on the 'Malaysian Resurrection as Asian Tiger' in conjunction with the Asian Tiger Convention at Dewan Agong Tuanku Canselor, Universiti Teknologi Mara here tonight.
He also stressed on the importance of keeping to one’s word and urged Malaysians to take a page from the Japanese.
He said the Japanese worked hard work, constantly sought knowledge and kept to their word.
"In those days, when a Japanese failed to fulfill a promise he would feel so ashamed that he would take his own life.
“We saw this happen to Japanese soldiers...they committed harakiri (suicide) when they lost the war.”
Dr Mahathir said Malaysians should also not be ashamed to admit their mistakes and instead take responsibility for their actions.
He said one should also have a sense of shame when they fail to keep their promise and not walk around like they’ve done nothing wrong.