Tun M Says Malaysians Should Adopt The Japanese Work Ethic
He is currently in the island nation for a work visit.
By John Lim — 11 Jun 2018, 12:07 PM
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is currently in Japan for a three-day work visit
The Pakatan Harapan coalition leader arrived at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo at about 4.55pm on Sunday, 10 June.
This is his first trip overseas after becoming Malaysia's seventh prime minister last month.
Shortly after his arrival, Tun Dr Mahathir attended a dinner with Malaysians residing or studying in Japan, during which he praised the Japanese for their tenacious work ethic
He said the Look East Policy formulated during his first term as prime minister in the 80s was not just about attracting investors from the island nation to Malaysia.
"It's also about acquiring the Japanese work ethics, the Japanese sense of shame whenever they fail to deliver what they have promised to deliver," he said during the dinner as quoted by The Edge Markets through Bernama.
Tun Dr Mahathir said his admiration for Japan grew after his first trip to the country back in 1961
He said it was the work ethic and value system emulated by the Japanese that played a major part in rebuilding the country's post-war landscape to the financial powerhouse it is today.
"If you have the wrong way of working, if you are not hardworking and you don't take pride in your work, you will fail," he added.
He also made comparisons between the products made in Japan and those manufactured in Malaysia
"But in Malaysia, we don’t have this value system, we don’t feel ashamed if we come up with sloppy products which are of poor quality... whether what you do is good or not does not seem to matter," he said.
Apart from the dinner, Tun Dr Mahathir will also be attending the 24th International Conference on the Future of Asia, or Nikkei Conference, as well as a courtesy call with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday, 12 June.