Men becoming dependent, less independent

Dr M: Men becoming dependent, less independent
By: Hemananthani Sivanandam (Wed, 04 Nov 2009)


PUTRAJAYA (Nov 4, 2009) : Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad went on an attack mode against men, saying men are becoming more relaxed and dependent on women.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad deliver his speech during The Role of
Women and Youth in National Development at the 10th Perdana
Discourse series.
Delivering his keynote address on The Role of Women and Youth in National Development at the 10th Perdana Discourse series, Mahathir said women have become major contributors in the development of the country.

"We cannot discount the contribution women make in the workforce albeit some areas are dominated by men," said Mahathir.

He said currently women outnumber men in universities and make more effort to contribute to the country’s development compared to men.

"Men are not really making the effort in contributing to development. When someone does a good job, we become dependent on them.

"It’s the same with men. Men are no longer independent because they depend on women to do the job," said Mahathir adding women will eventually dominate the society and men will loose their position of authority.

Mahathir also urged youth to be patient and equip themselves with the knowledge and skills required to contribute to the development of the country.

"I find youth these days to be impatient. They demand for opportunities to be given to them but fail to implement them," said the 84-year-old elder statesman.

He said although youths these days are intellectual, their drive to become leaders and show off their credibility should be backed with credentials and qualification.

"I was a youth once and I was eager to show my credibility but I realised I should have the qualifications for people to take me more seriously," said Mahathir.

He said youth should not presume they know better than the older generation as experience comes with time.

"If they are equipped with the knowledge, then they will be in a better position to take over from us and build a great nation," said Mahathir.

Meanwhile during a question and answer session, the former Umno president said the party’s leadership should realise that it is getting smaller because leaders at lower levels are preventing young, qualified professionals to join Umno.

"This is the fault of a system which has been abused. When someone who is qualified wants to join a branch, they can’t get to be a member because the branch leader may find them threatening," said Mahathir.

"Umno must have good leaders and to have good leaders, it needs more people but branch leaders sideline all these qualified young professionals so he will be able to dominate the branch," he added.

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