Advertisement

In livestream, Dr Mahathir shares how he spends time during MCO

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Dr Mahathir also took time to share his fascination with Turkish leaders, his favourite dishes and pointers for retirees to stay active. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Dr Mahathir also took time to share his fascination with Turkish leaders, his favourite dishes and pointers for retirees to stay active. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 — As Malaysia enters its second phase of the movement control order (MCO) imposed nationwide, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today shared what he has been doing at home the past weeks.

In a livestream broadcasted through Instagram and Facebook, Dr Mahathir also took time to share his fascination with Turkish leaders, his favourite dishes and pointers for retirees to stay active.

While admitting that his daily routine was not usual anymore as everyone had to remain home due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, Dr Mahathir said he would usually drive or cycle during weekends or work at his office to spend time to its fullest if the outbreak was non-existent.

Dr Mahathir said reading was one of the activities he frequently did at home.

“I read a lot of books and obtain information from the books I have read, especially those concerning a leader.

“I read about the Russia Tsar, Peter the Great and how he successfully uplifted his people. I also read about South African leader Nelson Mandela. I also frequently read about Turkish leaders, how their Sultans conquered (Anatolia) lands previously owned by the Greeks, how disciplined they were in developing their country, their loyalties.

“These are some of the politics that we should understand so that if we choose to follow their methods, we will reap success,” he said.

As for his meals, Dr Mahathir said he has not been cooking much but instead had been giving orders to his cooks to prepare some of his favourite dishes such as mee bandung and fried rice.

Mee bandung, a cuisine originating from Johor, usually consists only of noodles and eggs in addition to a soup made of a mixture of chilli, onion, spices, shrimp paste and dried shrimp.

On Netflix, Dr Mahathir said he usually browsed through historical programmes on the online streaming service as he was interested in past events which served as lessons to him, adding that he had recently watched a Turkish historical docudrama.

While Dr Mahathir did not name the programme in his reply, it is believed he was referring to Rise of Empires: Ottoman, a six episode docudrama revolving around the Fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire brought about by Mehmed the Conqueror and the Ottoman Empire.

For retirees, Dr Mahathir said the most important thing was not to respond to one’s feeling of tiredness before reminding them to be always active and make use of their thinking capacities.

“If you have retired, please don't go to sleep, don't rest. Be active, read, write and do something physical, maybe walk around, travel, play games but most importantly not respond to feeling of tiredness by going to sleep or lie down.

“The more you lie down, the weaker your muscle becomes and of course you don't like to get up and gradually your strength will dissipate,” he said.

He added that this applies to one’s brain as well, as the brain will degenerate over time if it is not used.

“Always be active and always try to make use of your thinking capacity so that this attribute we have as human beings will not be lost,” he said.

Related Articles Sarawak gives all 82 state constituencies RM200,000 each for Covid-19 aid UK’s Prince Charles, recovered from virus, says it is distressing time for nation Offer loans to SME with lower or zero rates amid Covid-19, think tank urges govt