Dr Mahathir Mohamad was well-known as a champion of Malay rights during his 22-year tenure as a prime minister.

However, Mahathir has now said that he does not believe in "Ketuanan Melayu" (Malay supremacy), despite having been labelled as an "ultra Malay" by Malaysia’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.

“I do not believe in Ketuanan Melayu. I used to tell (Malay rights pressure group Perkasa president) Ibrahim Ali that if you are the driver, it is the guy behind you who is the tuan (master)...