Former Malay leader in Cambridge

The former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir Bin Mohammed, visited Cambridge University on Wednesday, speaking to an audience of over 100 students gathered at Emmanuel College on the subject of "Malaysia at the crossroads"'

The talk began with the organisers joking that they didn't want any flying shoes, in reference to the incident earlier this month when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao narrowly missed being hit by a shoe during his Cambridge address.

Dr Bin Mohammed was introduced by a student who made it clear that the former leader was one of "the most important and prolific politicians in Malaysian history" although not one to avoid controversy, noting that some have described the ex-Prime Minister as an "anti-Semite."

It was a brutally honest way to begin, since Dr Mohammed was recently quoted as saying "the Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them."

Dr Bin Mohammed then began his talk by referencing the driving themes of his political career. He noted that he tried to correct inequalities of wealth which divided his country along racial lines and claimed "not everyone can make democracy work."

Dr Bin Mohammed is 83 years old and has been a long-time force in Malaysian politics.He served as Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and is considered one of the main shepherds of industrialization in his country.

As one BBC political analyist noted: "While his colourful reputation abroad stemmed from frequent barbed comments about the West and his scant regard for human rights, his authoritarian but essentially pragmatic policies at home won him much popular support and helped transform Malaysia into an Asian economic tiger."

"The perception is that government is weak in Malaysia," said Dr Bin Mohammed during his lecture.

"There are demands being made along racial lines. We were progressing for 50 years but now stalling. The people feel like the country is not being well run."

He also noted caution about the movement towards free speech in Malaysia, saying "people want freedom of speech, an end to racial division but this had led to weak government... the country has not been making the progress that we expect."

Whilst noting the benefits of social and racial cohesion, Dr Bin Mohammed's 'crossroads', as he defined them, were between focusing on an economic revival and focusing on full-scale integration.

He noted that the decision was 'tough', but the tone of his speech suggested he favoured the former.

"The racial problem is rearing its ugly head again in Malaysia," he said. "We are at a crossroads. Either we disregard race and go on or we cater to demands based on race."

"Malaysia was on the road to being developed but a new change of strategy has stalled this," Dr Bin Mohammed continued.

He also commented on the current Malaysian government: "This government is less racist but that has led to instability and lack of growth."

Although a controversial figure, the former Prime Minister was supported by most of the audience and received a standing ovation at the start of the talk.

After the speech, Dr Bin Mohammed took part in a lively question and answer session during which he spoke about the new Obama administration, UK education and the future of Malaysia.

Robert Costa

Pete Jefferys