According to the Malay Trade and Entrepreneur Association (Perdasama), former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's views should be taken in a positive light and must not be subjected to ridicule.

Its president Moehamad Izat Emir described the ex-prime minister as someone whose endeavours have made life comfortable for all Malaysians.

On the same note, he said Perdasama agreed with Mahathir on his statement that Malays are losing economic power in the country.

"The mistake of the Malays, is that they have a culture of being unable to withstand the temptation of giving and receiving bribes for their own self-interest," he noted.

                

As for Mahathir's recent comments on Malay political parties having to beg the Chinese community for votes, Moehamad ( left ) said this too must be seen as constructive criticism.

"The statements must be accepted with awareness of the real situation without hatred," he stressed, adding that he is convinced that the former premier had been voicing out due to genuine concern for his race.

"Malays under the name of Islam must protect their own dignity and must not split among each other," he further said.

Moehamad claimed that the former premier is genuinely worried for the Malay community given the various problems regarding business opportunities as well as Malay reserve land issues.

"Malays must unite and be open to criticisms to improve and increase their competitiveness," he stressed.

In addition, he said that the Malays must work harder to ensure they have a good share of the country's economic wealth by the year 2020.