Dr Mahathir An Extraordinary Leader Because He Is An Avid Reader, Says M'sian Deputy PM

KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 (Bernama) -- Dr Mahathir Mohamad's reading habit has made him a visionary, knowledgeable and extraordinary leader, to the extent of enabling the country's development and progress to stand the test of time, said Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. While calling on the people to emulate the quality possessed by Dr Mahathir, Muhyiddin said in depth reading on various fields would definitely give a positive impact to the people's mindset and action, especially in Malaysia's bid to achieve the status of a fully-developed nation. Describing the appointment of the former prime minister as the National Reading Icon as very apt, he said Dr Mahathir's diligent reading habit had also made him a distinguished thinker and initiator of ideas for development. "Today, we can see the former prime minister's farsightedness in building the base for the country's development, which has stood the test of time. "For example, the Penang Bridge, which was once deemed by the opposition as a waste of money, has proved to be a huge contributor to the state's development. "So is Putrajaya, which the opposition accused to be another of Dr Mahathir's 'white elephant' project and a waste of people's money. The opposition used to say that they'll put Putrajaya on auction if they gain power, but now, we only hear them chanting 'Road To Putrajaya'." Muhyiddin said this while launching the National Reading Icon and 1Malaysia Values Nurturing campaign at the National Library here Monday. During the ceremony, Dr Mahathir who is known to love books, was appointed as the third National Reading Icon after Michelle Yeoh in 2010 and National Astronaut Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Al-Masrie (2009). His appointment was on the suggestion of Information, Communications and Culture Minister of Malaysia Dr Rais Yatim. Also present were Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Rais and wife, Masnah Rais, Rais's deputies Joseph Salang and Maglin Dennis D'Cruz and National Library director-general Raslin Abu Bakar. Muhyiddin said Dr Mahathir's far thinking had also saved Malaysia's economy from being destroyed by neo-imperialists who tried to reap obscene profits when Malaysia's economy fell during the Asian economic crisis in 1997. Nevertheless, he said, Dr Mahathir's biggest contributions to the country were his Look East Policy and Vision 2020, which succeeded in raising the awareness of the people and mobilised the populace in efforts to become a developed nation. "The legacy of Tun Dr Mahathir's thoughts and concepts are being perpetuated by the Barisan Nasional (National Front) government under the leadership of Najib Razak today," he said. On the special skills of Dr Mahathir as an iconic reader, Muhyiddin said even though he was trained as a medical doctor, he could capture ideas in various fields encompassing socio-economics, politics, law, culture, technology and so on. Meanwhile, Rais in his speech said the selection of Dr Mahathir as an reading icon was because the nation needed a reading 'headman' to build reading as a habit. "We two (Muhyiddin and Rais) were both political students under Dr Mahathir. Between the two, I am older but one thing could not learn fully from Tun was his interest to read and write well. "As such, the world recognised him through various awards. At the moment, he has been bestowed with 20 awards and recognition from 20 universities in Malaysia alone," he said. -- BERNAMA