Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been touring the Malay heartlands in a bid to convince them to vote for his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in the next general election instead of Umno.

In his latest blog posting, the former premier decided to touch a raw nerve.

He noted how the Japanese were willing to kill themselves out of shame when unable to perform a task or for doing something which is considered wrong.

However, he argued that the feeling of shame is different among the Malay race, whom he claimed are not perturbed when failing to execute a task given or entrusted to them.

“They do not feel shame even when embezzling money entrusted to them.... There is little shame amongst the Malays.

“Today, this feeling of shame has eroded further. Though having sufficient income, when there is an opportunity to embezzle money, shame does not prevent them from committing this wrongdoing.

“Many are willing to accept whatever that is given for free without reservations. The source (of the funds) is never questioned,” he added...