With two million Bangladeshis taking up jobs in the country, they will soon be the fourth largest ethnic group after the Malays, Chinese and Indians in Malaysia, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He came up with the information while responding to a question raised during the "Youths Ask Tun Answers" dialogue session at Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya on Sunday (April 14).
The prime minister urged Malaysians to take on jobs in sectors dominated by foreigners.
Malayasian newspaper The Star quoted him to say: "When locals refuse to do the job, others will come.
"Way back during the British occupation, they brought in others (from India and China) because locals refused to work in rubber estates and mines."
Dr Mahathir told the crowd that he regarded the Prophet Muhammad and Peter the Great of Russia as his role models as they succeeded in re-shaping the mindset of the masses.
Likewise, he said Malaysians need to change their mindset so that they are driven to succeed on their own without being dependant on the government.
"Giving monetary aid would only weaken them.
"We need to inculcate the right values. Through discipline and hard work, we can make greater advancements," he said.
Dr Mahathir also stressed the need to re-introduce English as the language of instruction for mathematics and science so that Malaysians could master the field of science and technology.
"We do not even have the technology to develop our own weapons for national defence," he added.
