Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	DHAKA, BANGLADESH 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	13/02/93 
Tajuk/Title  	:	THE CIVIC RECEPTION HELD AT NORTH 
			PLAZA, BANGLADESH JATIYO 
			SANGSHAD (PARLIAMENT) 




 Your Excellency Begum Khaleda Zia,
     Prime Minister of Bangladesh;
Excellencies;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
    It  gives me great pleasure to be in this historic city
of Dhaka again.  I wish to thank Mayor Mirza Abbas for host-
ing this grand civic reception and for his kind words.    It
is  a great honour indeed for me to receive the key to Dhaka
city as a symbol of the close and brotherly ties that  exist
between our two countries.
2.   In  standing  before  you  here today, I am deeply con-
scious of the simple yet majestic Jatiyo  Sangshad  Building
behind  me.  Our gathering in the shadow of your magnificent
parliament is indeed significant in manifesting our  respect
for  the 'house of the people' and commitment to the princi-
ples of democracy.
3.   Our two countries have a common faith in democratic and
representative government.  We believe in elections and  the
rights  and  freedom of the common man to choose leaders and
governments of his own.   Through blood and  tears,  through
pain  and frustration and, frequently, through trial and er-
ror we have evolved our own democratic systems to  meet  the
aspiration and the ideals of our societies.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
4.   The  democratic  system is, however, only a means to an
end.  The ultimate goal is social  and  political  stability
for the pursuit of economic development and well-being.  De-
mocracy  cannot  exist for the sake of democracy alone.  De-
mocracy is meaningless if it fails to enhance the well-being
of the people and if turmoil and disorder becomes the way of
life.  Legitimacy in government attained through  the  demo-
cratic  process should lead to the promotion rather than the
regular disruption of legitimate social, political and  eco-
nomic  activities.  It is essential therefore that democracy
and development in all fields go hand in  hand  without  the
former being a liability to the latter.
5.   No  developing  country  however,  could be expected to
practise the so-called 'perfect democracy', as is understood
by the West.  Indeed even for the West what is perfect today
will be defective tomorrow.   The basic priority  should  be
the  rapid  economic development for the benefit of the peo-
ple.  Expecting developing countries to  forego  development
in  favour  of  an  alien concept of a perfect democracy can
lead to the actual demise of democracy itself.    Exercising
absolute  democratic rights should not outweigh the need for
stability and the general well-being of the people.  In  all
things there must be moderation and accommodation.
6.   The  provisions of a democratic system are no guarantee
for success.   Each  democratic  nation  therefore,  big  or
small,  developed  or developing, has still to shape its own
destiny and find its own place in the  international  commu-
nity.    It  has to live with all the strength and resources
that it has and the weaknesses that it inherits.  It has  to
be  guided  by the wisdom and vision of its leaders, the ad-
ministrative skills of its bureaucrats, the  entrepreneurial
dynamism  of  its private sector, the discipline of its stu-
dents and workers, the loyalty of its armed forces, and most
importantly perhaps, the support of its people.   Hard  work
of  course remains the key ingredient without which no poli-
cies, however sound, could be successfully implemented.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
7.   In a world of inequitable distribution  of  wealth  and
opportunities  it  is  only fair to see those who are better
off giving to those in need.   Many a time  however,  donors
can  be most patronising.  Worse still, donors can sometimes
be unnecessarily severe in their criticism of  the  policies
and practises of the recipients.  It is as if the ability to
give  is also a licence to preach and to arrogate to the do-
nors the right to shower  advice  that  are  not  solicited.
Frustrations  therefore  arise on the part of the recipients
when  the  sheer  need  for  aid  means  having  to   accept
conditionalities and priorities determined by the donors.
8.   For this reason Malaysia has struggled hard to free it-
self of economic dependence in order to make political inde-
pendence gained in 1957 meaningful.  It has not been easy or
completely  successful,  but then nothing that is worthwhile
is easy to come by.  We accept the need to exercise self re-
strain and discipline in order to free ourselves  from  sub-
mission  to  the  will of others.  Independence has a price.
Nothing in this world or the next is free.
9.   Malaysia believes that its  strength  could  only  come
from  deep  within itself including the radical mobilisation
of whatever resources it has.  It has to have a clear vision
and be able to look to the future  while  drawing  upon  the
lessons  of  the past.  It has to devise its own formula for
success bearing in mind its peculiar circumstances,  histor-
ical experiences, socio-cultural condition and level of eco-
nomic  development.   It believes that in the final analysis
each nation has to fend for itself  and  that  respect  from
others could only be won if it can manage itself better than
when it was governed by others.
10.  I  believe that Bangladesh too has the same aspiration.
You now have the opportunity to strive for the good of  your
people.    Their  voices  could  now be heard loud and clear
through the Jatiyo Sangshad.  With the strong commitment  of
a  fair  government  and  the support of its industrious and
peace-loving people, rapid development would certainly  come
about.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
11.  Malaysia  is  a developing country like Bangladesh.  We
feel we have much to learn from each other's experience.  We
fully  appreciate  the   many   problems   confronting   the
Bangladeshi Government as it tackles the various impediments
including  natural  hazards and calamities in the process of
creating a progressive nation.   Since  establishing  diplo-
matic  relations  our  two countries have developed a strong
foundation for  mutually  beneficial  collaboration  in  all
fields.  Malaysia would continue to play its part in consul-
tation  with  the Bangladeshi side.  I am confident that the
brotherly relations between Malaysia and Bangladesh will  go
from strength to strength in the years to come.