Sunday afternoon in London was cold, wet and windy, but the promise of a dialogue with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad drew a 600-strong crowd, mostly students, to Imperial College's (IC) Great Hall in the capital's south-west.

Dark-suited, fresh-faced students guided people out of the rain and into the hall which, at 10 minutes before Mahathir was due to arrive at 2.30pm, held about 400 people. The rest of the crowd trickled in dribs and drabs as the afternoon went on.

One first-year student at IC said he had never seen or heard Mahathir speak before and thought it would be "a kind of experience" to hear him for the first time. He wasn't thinking about any issues in particular, nor did he intend to ask the prime minister any questions during the dialogue.

A slightly older gentleman sitting next to him, Lawrence Savarimeutheu, and a friend, were there because they had been at the High Commissioner's open house the day before. Mahathir had popped by, urged the visitors to come along and so they had, since they hadn't heard him speak in a long time. Lawrence said he had been working in the private sector in the UK for some 20 years now his friend for 22 and no, he didn't really intend to return to Malaysia.

"Except for retirement maybe," he laughed.

Was he planning to ask Mahathir any questions today? Or had he approached him yesterday with any concerns about the country? No, he said. Anyway yesterday Mahathir had mostly just sort of popped in to the High Commissioner's place.

Shaking hands, that sort of thing? I asked.

Well, there were a lot of people there at the High Commissioner's house, Lawrence said. And everyone just wanted to have their picture taken with him.

"Maybe I could just ask him why Malaysia is so expensive these days," he smiled.

Lina, a final-year PhD student who will eventually return to lecture at one of our local universities, had also heard about the talk from her visit to the High Commissioner's house the day before. No, she didn't have any questions she wanted to ask either, nor had she ever heard Mahathir speak before.

How to behave

Not unusually, the guest of honour was about 15 minutes late. His delay was announced and blamed on London traffic. Before he arrived, however, the chairman of the dialogue instructed the crowd on how to behave upon the prime minister's arrival:

Could we, "please stand when he and his entourage enter the room and remain standing until they are seated"? Fortunately for the chairman, the crowd was so well behaved, it not only stood when the prime minister entered, it applauded. An entire row of suited men right in front of the audience also rose when he walked to take the podium following the chairman's introduction.

At the start, Mahathir's voice is gruff and scratchy, as if he's just woken from a nap or is struggling with a cold, and he sounds very tired. The subjects of his talk, when compared with previous dialogue sessions, didn't stray much from the norm though, to my mind, they were delivered with less zing than usual. A little less baiting of the great western powers, a bit more resigned weariness.

Mahathir starts with a historical introduction, reminding everyone that, 50 years ago and before independence, we were colonised by a succession of European nations. He moves swiftly on to "people" now not seeming to care about the independence of nations and how smaller countries have no voice in the process of globalisation. They may have moved guns and armies in the old days, he says, but now, "they can squeeze usuntil our eyes pop", by applying economic sanctions, threats not to invest and so on.

The mention of race brings on a melange of messages. There is reassurance on how each race has always played a role in politics in the country; a mention of 1969 and learning from it; how difficult it is to keep this balance; and how, despite the difficulty, income per capita in Malaysia has risen from US$260 in 1957, to a current US$4,000. Taking purchasing power parity into account, he adds, this figure is nearer US$10,000.

Nodding off

At this point, I glance around the room and though I cannot see too far away, rows of people to my immediate right are comfortably slumped against their chair backs, jaws slightly slack and eyes a bit glazed. In one group of seven young men, a curly-headed fellow is nodding off with his arms crossed, while another rests his elbows on his knees, has his head in his hands and also has his eyes shut.

Mahathir, possibly realising the rather soporific effect his speech is having, makes an effort to connect. Speaking of the International Monetary Fund and not wanting to borrow money from it, he explains it by saying that we didn't, after all, want to gadai (pawn) our country. The evocative word draws soft chuckles from the audience.

He moves on to terrorism, which he says, "is nothing new to us". He talks of the communists' armed rebellion against the British, "which was alright because, of course, this was a foreign government". There is a tangible pause the audience is slow to catch the joke before a bout of laughter.

Mahathir then stresses the need to define terrorists through their acts rather than who they are. Why is it, he questions, that there are always "Muslim terrorists", but, despite the years of fighting in Northern Ireland, no Protestant or Catholic terrorists? Or, for that matter, of Orthodox Christian terrorists in Yugoslavia. Even legitimate governments,he says, can be terrorists, and he cites the example of the current Israeli government in its treatment of ordinary Palestinian citizens.

He finally winds up the talk with a feel-good message directed to the students. Despite all its tribulations, Malaysia remains a relatively peaceful nation, he says, and there is every chance our economy will recover soon. The contribution that the audience the students can make in terms of political understanding, he says, is in ensuring that Malaysia remains independent.

Answers with aplomb

Now, he says, we'll have time for some difficult questions. If any of the questions that follow are difficult, however, Mahathir dispatches the answers with the same aplomb and slight weariness that mark his talk before.

Ten questions are asked in the following hour-and-slightly-more, with most questioners reading from folded pieces of paper. They range from supplications to voicings of frustration. If there is any overarching theme, however, bar the supplications, it is that of concern for the Malaysian future and for the speakers' own futures in it.

The first question comes from a Dr Arun working in London, who wishes to know Mahathir's view on a particular matter. Some friends who studied medicine on scholarships from the Ministry of Defence, are now practising at home and serving out their bonds. However, they have found that medical practice does not suit them and they want to buy out their bonds, but the Ministry won't let them. Mahathir advises patience and says his friends should carry out their practice bearing in mind their service to the country.

A second student, in a dark suit, asks about corporate restructuring and what the government intends to do to speed up the process. Though his voice is calm and steady, from about 12 rows away, I can see his hand, and the small sheet of paper clutched in it, shakingwith nerves.

Companies can fail for various reasons, Mahathir says. But we intervene not so much to save the shareholders, but to save the people who are employed by these companies.

Seeking protection

A young woman asks about the protection the domestic legal industry receives and questions whether it is doing the competitiveness of Malaysian law firms any good. Well some local companies would like to be protected from the overseas law firms, Mahathir says. "What is ideal for some people is not ideal for others."

A young man with blond streaks in his hair asks what the government has been doing to ensure his children will be able to study in Malaysia, instead of overseas. Also, he says, would Mahathir be able to say what the best definition of citizenship is? He is looking for a definition that would make sense to all Malaysians and he asks this because, he says, it has some relevance in regard to the previous question and here he begins to stutter the problem of the "Drain. Drain of brain. Drain of brain. Power".

The audience is in stitches and he turns to face it with a sheepish grin and apology. "Sorry, I'm just a bit nervous." Whether it is for his efforts at concluding the sentence or of the faintest attempt to criticise, however, he receives a hearty round of applause and cheers from the audience.

Mahathir mentions the growth in our number of universities, private institutions and various twinning programmes that have been set up. However, he says, even if we have enough institutions for students to study in, "we would like to see some of our people go abroad and study abroad. we need the cross pollination". With regards to citizenship, he says, "in any country there would be citizenship for all the people, but there are certain needs that have to be attended to" standards of living, for example. Hence theneed for affirmative action. And Malaysia's ability to avoid the clashes that occur in other countries. "You may want to migrate to other countries but you may find in other countries there are also some form of discrimination against you. So we can take the good with the bad."

Concerns on globalisation

I manage to get a question in next. Although I agree with Mahathir's continued concerns on globalisation and how more powerful countries are able to take advantage of the weak, why then does he similarly stifle dissent in the country with the Internal Security Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the University and Colleges Act and, more recently, the pledge of good conduct that civil servants are required to sign? Wouldn't it be better to allow people to have their say and let the country as a whole decide whether they have any points worth listening to?

With the ISA, Mahathir says, when you see a crime about to be done and you have the ability to prevent it from being carried out, you should. You should have the "moral strength" to carry it out. Even Britain and the US are using a similar act now. With the University and Colleges Act, he says, we want people who have been given the opportunity to study at our local institutions, to use the opportunity. "Some of these people were neglecting their studies to focus on politics. There are very many of them who are not studying at all and, coming from a community who are, er, quite backward in their studies. They should spend more time on their studies than on politics and other activities." As for the pledge, a civil servant is paid to serve the government of the day, not oppose the plans it tries to carry out.

How are MAS and Perwaja top executives managing to get away with fraud and management irregularities that have resulted in huge debts and losses in both companies, asks another young man sternly.

Mahathir admits there were mistakes in running Perwaja the government was prepared to lose somemoney on it, as steel enterprises are very difficult, but too many mistakes were made, he says. We did not know how to manage the company. As to following up missing funds, however, it's difficult as the money has been placed in Swiss bank accounts, and the banks are not willing to testify in Malaysian courts about their clients. If there is ever any evidence, however, cases will be prosecuted. In regards to the MAS, well, not a single airline today is loss-free, he says.

Mahathir's worldview

How does Malaysia intend to encourage open and critical minds? Is it true, as Lim Kit Siang alleged in a talk at the London School of Economics, that the government has been using Sept 11 to attract votes? How does the government intend to cope with the loss of import duty income in the future following the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Gatt)?

The answers to all these questions are pretty much the same in the context of Mahathir's worldview logic and mixed with his usual sprinkling of jokes. Finally, though, Mahathir says he will take a last question. The audience perks up visibly at this. It's been a long session in the hall for a Sunday afternoon.

A woman in a black suit, with a leopard print scarf bounces up brightly when he picks her. The woman begins with a long salutary greeting, thanking Mahathir for his advice and encouragement once upon a long ago, when she was a student at Surrey University on a JPA scholarship. Since then, she tells us, she has been working in tourism in Europe for 10 years.

It takes a while to work out exactly what it is she wants, and the audience begins chatting increasingly restlessly throughout the few minutes she has the mike but, at last, it becomes clear. Is there any training she can do for local students? A government budget to train service industry workers who drop out of school maybe? Is there any possibility she could set up a training centre with government grants? When she's done, the audience claps hurriedly and eagerly, possibly to forestall her speaking any longer.

Unkind questions

Mahathir is sorry but the capital is going to have to come from her, he says. However, if the training course she sets up is good, there is always the chance that the government will help by sending students her way.

He finally thanks the audience, despite, he says, their unkind questions, which have necessitated very long replies. He hopes, however, that everyone is satisfied with the answers.

I didn't manage to catch the first-year IC student or Lawrence to ask them what they thought before they leave the hall but, over his shoulder and on his way out, Lawrence's friend smiles. "That was a good question you asked," he says as he leaves.

What did Lina think of the talk?

It was good, she says, nodding her head and pursing her lips only very slightly. "It was quite interesting and at least there were some answers to the questions."

The audience and its speaker may not have had the most lively of sessions but, compared with previous dialogues, the questions their relation to the world outside academics, their level of political savvy and even the timidity with which criticism is broached were definitely better than previous dialogues I have attended.

Now all we have to do is get satisfying answers to them. Mahathir tried, but he looked tired and, frankly, so did we.

LEE TSE YIN is malaysiakini 's correspondent in London.