A veteran newsman, who is known to be a close associate of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has defended the former premier for branding Malays as "lazy".

Stating that there is no reason to be upset, former News Straits Times top editor A Kadir Jasin, however, is certain that not all Malays are bone idlers.

"Many Malays are hardworking and exceptional, give them crutches and they turn it into oars and pillars.

"Many Malays have carved a name for themselves and are living comfortably abroad," Kadir added in his latest blog post.

However, Kadir said, there are also Malays living like vagrants in their own land.

"Give them seeds, and they eat it. Give them subsidised fertiliser, they sell it to gamble and have a good time.

"Despite being immersed in debt, they buy Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki, and become mat rempit, indulge in illegal races and die," he added.

Kadir said it is the Malays who rule, and make up the bulk of the police force, Customs Department, Immigration Department and teaching profession.

"Malays also top the list of those who get arrested for bribery and cheating.

"Malays who accept bribes end up in jail, the Chinese and Indians who give bribes face no action, even if they do, it is just one or two," he added.

Last week, Mahathir, when launching a book on the Malays, lamented that he had failed to change them despite trying for more than two decades.

The former prime minister claimed that apart from being "lazy", the Malays were "unashamed of failure" and "lacked integrity" in handling money.

His remarks drew flak from various quarters, but Malay rights group Perkasa's Selangor chapter described it as " fatherly advice ".