Roza Otunbayeva: Malaysia is thriving thanks to former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s efforts towards ethnic unity

Dr. Mahathir Mohamad united and led the diverse ethnic groups of Malaysia to prosperity. On the evening of September 11, 2013, former Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva chaired a Discover Asia meeting devoted to the success of the Malaysian economy, the third largest economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 29th largest in the world.

 

 

“It’s important that each ethnic group lives and works for the greater good of the country in which they live. Former Prime Minister Mohamad proved this when he united and led the Malays, Indians, and Chinese of his country to greater wealth and prosperity,” the former president said.

 

According to the former President of Kyrgyzstan, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was an unusual politician who always went against the grain. When the global economic crisis of 1987 reached Malaysia, he ignored the remedies proposed by international financial institutions and kept his own counsel.

 

“I look at how Dr. Mohamad’s led his country away from internecine conflict as a bestselling book,” Ms. Otunbayeva said, “one that could become Kyrgyzstan’s playbook, too…He gave the people of his nation confidence to believe they could overcome all difficulties. He was the glue that held everything together.”

 

The Roza Otunbayeva Initiative IPF organized the event.

 

Malaysia is ranked first in the world in electronic chip and air conditioner production. Until 1970, its economy was based on natural resources and agriculture. As of 2011, Malaysia’s GDP amounted to approximately $450 billion.

 

Over the past thirty years, Malaysia has implemented successfully new economic and national development policies thanks to the efforts of then-Prime Minister Mohamad. Currently, Malaysia is working to become a modern, high-tech state by 2020.