Dr M: Truth a bitter pill to swallow

(The Star) - Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is unconcerned about possible lawsuits over his memoirs.

Dr Mahathir said he was driven to tell the truth in his autobiography A Doctor in the House.

“There will be those who will not be satisfied.

“If they want to sue, sue lah,” he quipped after launching the book at Mid Valley Megamall yesterday.

Dr Mahathir said he had kept its publication a secret until the launch date to avoid a possible court injunction to stop its release.

“I want people to read it. Whatever they think of it is their prerogative,” he said.

It took him eight years to write the autobiography, he said. “I did not type. I used long hand.”

Dr Mahathir said during his tenure as Prime Minister, he was described as a dictator.

“(In the autobiography) I tried to prove that I am not. But some people will still feel otherwise,” he said.

To a question, Dr Mahathir said that through his biography, he wanted to deliver the message that it was not impossible to achieve anything when one is willing to learn.

“I was a commoner, I was not trained in the field of administration, economics or finance. But you can learn if you want to learn. The best reward is not monetary gains but the results of your effort,” he said.

Dr Mahathir also took a swipe at Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim whom he accused had claimed credit for certain things.

“He (Anwar) is claiming that the setting up of UIA (International Islamic University Malaysia) was his idea,” he said.

On his next project, Dr Mahathir said he would look into rewriting The Malay Dilemma.

“When they (the Malays) were poor they were in a dilemma. When they are rich, there is a bigger dilemma,” he said.