MALAYSIA can be a developed nation by 2025 if it can master manufacturing and new technology, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“We still want to be a developed nation and that comes with certain criteria. In order to do this we must achieve certain growth rates,” said the Prime Minister during an interview with Astro Awani today.

He said a developed nation is not measured just by income per capita and as such Malaysia needed certain capabilities such as mastering manufacturing and focusing on knowledge-based technology.

‘If we don’t master these new changes, we will be left behind. If we can do this, we can be a developed nation by 2025,” said Dr Mahathir.

He was responding to a question on what his long-term vision was for the country.

The 93-year-old said that technology has changed the way people conduct business.

“Previously, traders can only sell in their shop lots or villages but today they can sell to the world through online marketing. The market has grown bigger and these are changes that will only benefit us if we can master them.”

Moving forward, Malaysia must also continue to produce higher value goods such as cars although this would be hard at first.

“We cannot keep buying imports as it results in a capital outflow and if we keep doing something repeatedly it will only get better.

“The first Proton we made is not as good as the one we have now. Similarly, the first South Korean and Japanese cars were not good when they came out many years ago.

“But today, Korean cars are accepted in the United States and they even have a manufacturing plant there,” said the prime minister.

Dr Mahathir said the first few months of the Pakatan Harapan government has focused on recovery.

He said that the government machinery and finances were worse than Pakatan Harapan had anticipated when they took over control in May.

“We initially thought that the government had only committed RM55 billion to build ECRL but the conditions for the government were very bad. And there’s little we can do but bear the consequences.

“As such, the government didn’t focus on investments and economic expansion but on recovery. But now we are turning to private investments and developing infrastructure.

“We are hoping that the private investments will contribute as the government doesn’t have enough money. There are things that the private sector can do very well such as building affordable housing,” said Dr Mahathir.

He said the previous government’s policy was to encourage imports.

“But we want to produce goods to reduce imports,” said Dr Mahathir. – October 21, 2018.