The Vision of a Modern Nation

Abstract

Dr. Mahathir wasted no time in transforming Malaysia in line with his vision of a modern, industrialized nation, setting the goal of becoming fully developed by 2020. Once dominant primary commodities, already receding, gave way to the production of manufactured goods and the embrace of a high-tech future. With the economy expanding at an annual average rate of 6.1 per cent for the 22 years he was prime minister,¹ Malaysia was one of the developing world’s most successful countries. It was all the more impressive for being a Muslim-majority nation, indicating that Islam could be compatible with representative government and modernization. That it was achieved while a comprehensive affirmative action programme was being applied to such an ethnically diverse population added lustre to Malaysia’s internationally acclaimed success.