Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad admits that Malaysia’s form of democracy is “not perfect”, but maintains it is better than having its people taking to the streets.

NONE“Malaysia’s democracy is not perfect, but an imperfect democracy is better than (the rakyat) taking to the streets and killing one another,” Mahathir said today.

Although not perfect, he maintained that the country’s democracy was stable and capable of functioning as a social counterweight for Malaysians.

He said the government should instead admit to its wrongs and work to improve itself in developing the country.

“The essence of democracy is not to achieve victory but to accept defeat,” Mahathir said in his speech at the Umno International Forum 2013 at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

In his brief speech, Mahathir added it is becoming increasingly difficult to allow the people to choose its government because there is no 100 percent agreement from everyone involved.

However, he said it is important for the government to take care of the welfare of the minority so that no one feels mistreated.

“A developing nation must learn from the mistakes of other developed countries that are currently experiencing economic problems due to their own greed,” he said.