2. I deem it a great honour especially as this award is named after a remarkable man whose leadership qualities and contribution toward the rehabilitation of the war-ravaged city of Beirut and Lebanon is incomparable.

3. I knew Rafik Hariri when he first visited Malaysia. We immediately became close friends and I visited Lebanon at his invitation to see the damage wrought by the fratricidal war. Rafik promised he would rebuild Beirut as it was before the war. And he delivered on his promise. I visited Beirut after the restoration and I felt sure that a great future awaits Lebanon under his leadership.

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2. I have often enough sat in the driver’s seat of a bulldozer or mechanical hoe and I have always been able to see everything in front of me. Certainly a person standing in my way would be clearly seen by me.

3. But the Israeli court believed the soldier when he said he could not see the girl Rachel Corrie standing in front of his bulldozer. And so he ran over her crushing her under the bulldozer.

2. Jalur Gemilang! Just a rag – a strip of coloured cloth. It can be of any colour. What’s so great about the stripes, the star and the moon. Why must we be loyal to a piece of coloured cloth?

3. And the anthem. Is it relevant? Why cannot we sing some other song?

2. Di Singapura kerana tidak ada lagi sekolah Melayu dan bahasa penghantar di sekolah-sekolah di Republik itu ialah Inggeris dan China; segala urusan rasmi dan tidak rasmi menggunakan Bahasa Ingggeris atau China, maka orang Melayu sudah pun tidak menggunakan Bahasa Melayu. Mereka menggunakan Bahasa Inggeris walaupun semasa bercakap dengan anak pinak, keluarga dan kawan-kawan Melayu.

3. Budaya, adat istiadat Melayu juga terhakis. Yang tinggal hanyalah agama Islam mereka.

2. There was no indication as to whom it was directed and what the purpose was. But I am sure that immediately the thoughts that crossed the minds of the spectators and the millions of TV viewers all over the world was the need for freedom in many of the countries of the third world.

3. But may I suggest that we look also at the lack of freedom of the many independent countries of the world due to Western Hegemony.

2. I am not an intellectual but I admit that I use my brain more often than most.

3. I was one with the lowest result in my Senior Cambridge Examination to be admitted in the College of Medicine. There were seven Malays whose results were all very inferior to the other students. Apparently the British were practising affirmative action in 1947. So much for being an intellectual.

2. He promised to close down Guantanamo Detention Camp.

3. He promised to stop trials of detainees by Military Courts.

Maaf Zahir Batin.

DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD

DR SITI HASMAH BT HJ MOHD ALI