(April 30): Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his medical qualifications gave him credibility and earned him respect although he actually had wanted to be a lawyer.

The former prime minister said he was more interested in politics than in medicine.

"I was already into politics when I was in school. I was in the campaign to fight against the Malayan Union, but I was only a student and nobody respected me or thought I had credibility in what I said.

"So I decided that I must elevate myself to a level that would enable me to be heard and respected. To do that, I needed a university education.

"I actually wanted to be a lawyer but I earned a scholarship to study medicine instead," he said during a dialogue with Universiti Sains Malaysia students in Penang today.

Dr Mahathir said he worked hard in his medical studies in Singapore as he did not get in with the best results and had to catch up with others who had performed better.

After six years of studies and putting politics aside, he said he successfully became a doctor at a time when there were not many Malay doctors.

"So my qualifications gave me credibility when I talk on political matters. I did not become a doctor because I wanted to cure illnesses.

"But as a doctor, I gained knowledge and had a chance to help people, too," he said.

The nation's longest serving prime minister, was asked if leaving medicine to become a politician had been difficult for him.

He also advised students to focus on their studies and pursue knowledge.

"Focus on mastering knowledge now. Don't get involved with matters outside because there is little you can do as a student," he said, speaking from his experience as a schoolboy from Alor Star.

"If you ask me, that is what we should do," he said, adding that he believed that Malaysians were capable of catching up with the more advanced world. – The Malaysian Insider