MALAYSIA cannot avoid a partial lockdown as there are no vaccines to prevent Covid-19 infections, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“We can only try to avoid the infection. As such, it’s important that we stay home.

“If we go out, we will meet a lot of people, some of those who we don’t know if they are infectious. We will shake hands and that is how the disease is spread.

“As such, I agree with this partial lockdown as others have full lockdowns,” said the former prime minister.

The 94-year-old was replying to what he thought of the government’s movement-control order (MCO) on Facebook Live this morning.

Dr Mahathir said the economic fallout from Covid-19 is expected to be “terrible”.

“This is terrible. Just think when people don’t go out to work, they are not productive, or doing business and not creating wealth.

“Take tourism, for example. When tourists cannot travel, the airlines cannot go anywhere. Hotels restaurants, suppliers and everybody will suffer.

“Therefore, the economy will suffer because of the lack of business activity, people working and producing. The economy of the world will shrink,” said Dr Mahathir.

“If and when we recover, it will take a lot of time to help the economy again.”

On what could teachers teach the next generation, Dr Mahathir said they need to cultivate good values prioritising rational thinking over acting on impulse.

“Civilisation is the result of controlling thoughts over emotion. If we act on emotion, we will do things that are not good. If we think, we will only do things that are beneficial. Hence, civilised people can move forward compared to others.

“Civilised people look around them and see what can be done and do things that will improve their situation and advancement.”

On the subject of Malays, he said the youth are the future.

“But if they want to advance, they need good values, discipline and self-control and do things that are good for them.

“They must be willing to work hard for themselves, their race and society. If we are not hardworking, foreigners will come and replace us and become rich.”

On what kind of shows he watched on Netflix, Dr Mahathir said he preferred historical dramas.

“I just watched something on the Ottoman Empire which talked about Sultan Mehmed 2 conquering Constantinople after 13 attempts. I like to watch history shows and learn from them.”

As for what he was doing during the MCO, he said he kept busy by reading and writing. – April 1, 2020.