Pemikiran Mahathir Mengenai Pembangunan Ekonomi Orang Melayu Dalam Tiga Dekad (1970-1999): Satu Kajian Berdasarkan Buku Dilema Melayu, Cabaran! dan Jalan ke Puncak / Afifah Asriati

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the fourth and the longest serving Prime Minister of Malaysia. He served for 22 years (1981-2003). He is an icon and is identified as symbol of Malay struggle in the country. He has also been dubbed as the "Father of Modernisation" in Malaysia. Apart from being an intellectual, he was also able to incorporate and implement his ideas through national policies when serving as the Prime Minister. Mahathir has written many books and also newspaper articles where he highlighted his views, and proposals for the betterment of the Malays, the country and the world at large. He wrote on politics, economics, unity, education and the social aspects of the Malays. This study attempts to deeply examine the economic development of the Malays through three major books of Dr Mahathir, namely, The Malay Dilemma, Cabaran (The Challenge), and "Jalan ke Puncak" (The Road to Success). His thoughts are explored using the qualitative approaches. These three major books, and the views of other experts interviewed and gathered serve as important sources of information. Data was collected via documentation technique and in depth interviews. This study argues that Dr Mahathir tends to have a deductive method of thinking. His ideas on Malay economic backwardness includes, the value system of the Malays, the social structure and leadership, as well as historical background and colonial legacy. Mahathir proposes that the government and its leadership must lead and bring about a change in the Malays, through creating and giving more economic opportunities to the Malays through affirmative actions, as well as by changing their traditional mindset to suit with modern business culture in creative and systematic ways. This study concludes that Mahathir's thoughts in the three decades studied tends to be rather rational in nature, as he had a strong deductive way of thinking, though he did not totally reject the inductive approaches. He also had a lateral way of thinking as some of his ideas were against conventional thinking. This study attempts to narrow the knowledge-gap on the ideas of Mahathir and as such, contribute towards a better understanding of this important icon of Malaysia.