LUCKY ESCAPE FOR BAR COUNCIL? Dr M's first wish was to be a lawyer, not a doctor

GEORGE TOWN - Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad revealed today that his first loves were law and politics although he ended up pursuing medicine because he had earned a scholarship for it.

Speaking at a dialogue with Universiti Sains Malaysia students in Penang today, Mahathir related how he was already in the thick of politics while at school but that since he was only a student, he lacked credibility and few respected what he had to say.

“I was already into politics when I was in school. I was in the campaign to fight against the Malayan Union, but I was only a student and nobody respected me or thought I had credibility in what I said.

“So I decided that I must elevate myself to a level that would enable me to be heard and respected. To do that, I needed a university education.”

He also said that he dreamed of studying law but that a career in medicine became a real possibility after he obtained a scholarship to pursue medicine in Singapore instead.

“I actually wanted to be a lawyer but I earned a scholarship to study medicine instead,” he was quoted by The Malaysian Insider as saying.

Studying medicine was no easy task, he related, explaining that he had to push himself to work hard in order to keep up with others in his batch.

He also put politics on the back burner and took pride in the fact that when he graduated as a doctor six years later, he was one of the few Malays with a qualification in medicine.

“So my qualifications gave me credibility when I talked on political matters. I did not become a doctor because I wanted to cure illnesses.

“But as a doctor, I gained knowledge and had a chance to help people, too,” he said.

Apart from relating his own experiences as a young man, Mahathir had words of wisdom for the undergraduates he addressed, telling them to master knowledge and not involve themselves with “matters outside”, presumably politics, as they could achieve very little while they were still students.

“Focus on mastering knowledge now. Don’t get involved with matters outside because there is little you can do as a student.

“If you ask me, that is what we should do.” - FMT