Dr M: We may profit from corruption now but our children will suffer

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today reiterated the need for Malaysians to hold on to noble values if the country was to succeed.

He said, for example, engaging in corruption, may return a short-term profit but they would be at the expense of the future generation.

"I have repeated this many times but it seems people do not see the impact on the future. The impact today won't be the same as the impact on the future.

"For example, if we accept bribery, we may think that we are profiting at this point in time but our children and grandchildren will become the victims," said the former two-time prime minister when interviewed on the "Mengopi Malam Minggu" online talk show.

He said Malaysians would never succeed if they do not inculcate noble values.

"Nothing is more effective in determining the success of a people than their noble values.

"The values of hard work, trustworthiness, rejection of corruption, not stealing. If we reject the bad and accept the good, Malaysia will succeed in a short time," he said.

Mahathir was also asked about recent developments on the political scene, particularly the attempted political coup in Sabah. He, however, kept his answers general.

He said while elected representatives could switch sides if their party has strayed, they should not do so for personal inducement.

"What happened is not the party straying but the elected representatives being offered payment and sweet promises that they forget their promise to the people.

"This is not good for our democracy as we are ignoring our promise to the people," he said.

Mahathir was also asked about his Vision 2020 to which he acknowledged that while some targets had been achieved, more needed to be done and that the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 agenda was to address various forms in inequality.

On the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Mahathir believed that the Pakatan Harapan government which he led for 22 months made the right decision to abolish it and revert to the Sales and Services Tax (SST).

He said while merchants could claim back the GST they had to pay at earlier stages, the slow refund process led to cashflow problems and an increase in the price of goods.

"SST is also a tax and no one likes to pay taxes but SST is less of a burden to the people," he said.

The talk show was organised by Taman Rumpun Bahagia DAP and hosted by Muhamad Danish Zainudin. - Mkini