Mahathir: No other country wants citizens of another country to come and settle en masse

PETALING JAYA (October 2): Malaysia welcomes investments in Malaysia, but foreigners settling in the country "by the millions", was not alright, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on BBC’s Hardtalk programme.

However, Malaysia did not object to China’s One Belt, One Road initiative.

“One Belt, One Road is okay, but some people sold land to build homes for their people to come and live there. That’s not foreign direct investment,” he told Hardtalk host Zeinab Badawi on the programme.

Zeinab had posed the following question to the premier: "But do you see them as bringing about a new form of colonialism with their One Belt, One Road infrastructure projects?”

The Malaysian Insight, citing the interview, reports that he said the Chinese were welcome to invest in Malaysia but noted that “real” foreign direct investment should involve bringing technology and factory plants to Malaysia in ways locals could benefit.

Mahathir was asked if he saw Beijing’s global mega infrastructure initiative as a form of “new colonialism” or “debt colonialism”.

He was also asked if Malaysia’s cancellation and suspension of major projects had caused concern among investors.

“(The Chinese) are welcome to invest (here). (President) Xi Jinping is not angry with me for saying that,”   he said.

When asked if he didn’t want Chinese people settling in Malaysia, Mahathir replied: “No other country wants citizens of another country to come and settle en masse.”

Ethnicity was not the issue, rather it was that foreigners were purportedly coming to settle in Malaysia “by the millions”, and Mahathir said that was not right.