5 September 2018
In an effort to develop a new generation of leaders, the Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM) on 19 December 2018 launched the Dr Mahathir Mohamad Leadership Series with the Prime Minister himself delivering the keynote address.
The event is the first in a series of lectures that will bring together distinguished national and international personalities from government, industry, education and civil society sharing ideas, insights and to spark fresh thinking on global challenges and nation-building.
“MIM deeply cherishes Tun Dr Mahathir’s long association with the Institute as our Honorary Fellow. His wise leadership, dynamism and foresight have been a tremendous source of inspiration for all Malaysians.
“MIM believes there is a great opportunity now to ensure the emergence of a generation of talented leaders to guide the country’s progress and spur economic growth and shared prosperity,” said MIM President Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar.
“His 18-hour work days were legendary in the old days. Now at 93, his 18-hour work days are nothing short of a continuing miracle. It is therefore not surprising that under his watch, Malaysia’s transformation story is a case study in managing adversity, having lofty ambition and building resilience and tenacity.”
The Leadership Series offers invaluable opportunities to engage in life-changing conversations with some of the most sought-after and forward-thinking leaders in the world.
The programme will be a unique platform to encourage interaction and incubate strategies and solutions in a candid, open and constructive environment.
In his keynote address, Dr Mahathir said leaders should yearn to win the trust of the people in order to create a win-win progressive state, and without the people’s trust, even the greatest governments around the world would fall.
He added that the current federal government is aware of the trust factor and strives to preserve the trust given during the general election in 2018.
“We have made promises, (but) to a certain extent they were drawn when we were not in power. Therefore, we made promises thinking that we will lose. So, we have to redouble our efforts to win the trust of the people.
“I believe in second chances, but you must strive to reject all (the things) your greed pushes you to do. We need to do things correctly with the rule of law.”
Dr Mahathir said trust is not only beneficial to individuals, but also for a country, as the government will be judged by its global peers on its trustworthiness.
“If we are trusted, then a lot of good things will come to us. If we borrow and we return it, people will trust us.
“(The) worst thing is, when a person fails to repay loans or return what he/she has borrowed, the community becomes affected where the whole community may not be trusted and subsequently, the whole nation may not be trusted.”
In addition to winning trust, Dr Mahathir said he normally does not allow his name to be attached to significant things.
“The first thing I did when I became Minister of Education, was to stop the practice of naming schools after ministers.”
Dr Mahathir had served as education minister between 1974 and 1977.
“So now you don’t find anybody naming schools after ministers. I promised that they can have schools named after them, but for that, they must die first,” he said, to the applause from the audience.
After Dr Mahathir concluded his keynote address, MIM Chairman Dato’ Ng Tieh Chuan had this to say: “Dear Mr Prime Minister, your words have provided us with much food for thought. Your words of wisdom, gained from passion for what you do coupled with many years of experience, are received with the best of intentions.
“We will seek out other luminaries to follow in your footsteps and keep this series alive, vibrant and relevant.”
