Don't compel undergraduates to study the 'Thoughts of the Prime Minister' which will soon be made a compulsory subject at the state-owned University of Technology Mara (UiTM), said opposition party DAP today.

Party publicity secretary Ronnie Liu warned that such a move will only corrupt the minds of the undergraduates further.

"We do not want our youngsters to be influenced by a culture of corruption, cronyism and nepotism, without democracy, transparency and good governance," he said in a statement.

Liu was responding to a decision made by UiTM recently that about 100,000 of its students will be obliged to study Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's thoughts.

According to the university vice-chancellor, Ibrahim Abu Shah, a book titled 'Thoughts of the Prime Minister', containing a collection of speeches by the premier, will be compulsory reading in classes.

"This was decided by the UiTM senate recently as we want all students and lecturers to study the prime minister's ideas covering various fields. Dr Mahathir's leadership has been proven and should be emulated," said Ibrahim.

PM's wrongdoings, blunders

However, Liu today said that many Malaysians do not share Ibrahim's opinion on that matter.

He added that while Mahathir had made some achievements in his 22 years in power, the outgoing prime minister is nevertheless guilty of many wrongdoings and has committed some blunders.

"One of his greatest disservice is that he has corrupted the minds of the young generations, so much so that many youngsters today cannot differentiate between right and wrong," said Liu.

Liu said that students today were forbidden from thinking and speaking freely, largely due to "draconian laws" put in place by the government.

"Many of them have become 'bonsais', with a stunted mind," he added.

The move by UiTM has been compared to the brainwashing propaganda employed by the Chinese Communist Party in the late 1960s.

Then, the 'Little Red Book' containing the thoughts of party chairperson Mao Zedong, culled from speeches and writings, was widely studied in China.

Mahathir, who will be relinquishing his post at the end of next month to his chosen successor and present deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is the only prime minister most youngsters have known.