KUALA LUMPUR: Former two-time prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said that Chinese and Indian immigrants in the past refused to assimilate to Malay culture.
Speaking on the Keluar Sekejap podcast hosted by former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan, Dr Mahathir said immigrants in the past, particularly during Malaysia's post-independence, wanted integration instead of assimilation as they wanted to preserve their culture from their originating countries.
"There was assimilation, for example people from Arab countries and India, they have been assimilated," Dr Mahathir said.
"But we never insisted on assimilation, for example, Chinese immigrants, Indian immigrants" Khairy interjected.
"They refused, not that we did not insist, but they looked down on us, we wanted them to become Malays. They didn't want to be known as Malays," he added.
Khairy then interjected again saying that the country's model of integration amongst citizens is more preferred compared to the assimilation in Indonesia and Thailand.
"Sir, unity and diversity, you used that a few times when you were the prime minister," Khairy said.
Dr Mahathir then responded that there are people that have identified themselves as Malays and also there were others that still want their identity or culture from their original country to be maintained.
"Yes, there is a multiracial (society). We have to admit that. But on one hand we have assimilation, on the other hand we have integration. This doesn't happen in other countries," Dr Mahathir said.
Dr Mahathir then claimed that Malaya was desperate to have independence, hence why the Malays were willing to accept them as Malayan citizens.
In the podcast, Dr Mahathir was grilled by the two former politicians-turned podcasters on many issues including his ethno-nationalist views, his career as a politician, prime minister and experience with working at previous premiers including the current prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.