Democracy doesn’t mean you get good leaders, says Dr Mahathir
(The Malaysian Insider) – A democratic system does not mean that elected leaders are good, particularly when there is abuse in the system, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says today.
In a report in Malaysiakini, the former prime minister said sometimes, a democratic country could find itself with good leaders and at times, very bad ones.
“Democracy, which was intended to give people good leadership, has become abused because people, or the voter, do not think what is good for the country but what is good for himself or herself,” Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying today.
“Your choice is no longer to choose the best leader, but about choosing the people you can make use of for your benefit.”
Dr Mahathir is one of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s strongest critics and has asked the prime minister to step down over his alleged “failure” to govern the country as well as over scandals linked to the debt-ridden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister also said that the people should know how to choose their future leaders and only then would they be able to live in prosperity and peace.
“If you start to choose people based on ethnicity or party ideology without looking at them properly, you are likely to choose the wrong leader. Once he becomes the leader, because of the power given to him, it is very difficult to change him.
“A democratic system provides you the means to change a leader. All you have to do is vote. But unfortunately some people allowed themselves to be influenced with money or positions,” he was reported as saying.
