Occupy Central not democracy: former Malaysian PM

HONG KONG - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad said here Friday that Occupy Central Movement is not democracy.

"If you fight for democracy you must persuade the majority of people to support you, then you can call it a democracy process," Mahathir said in the Q&A session after giving a speech entitled" Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Sino-American geopolitics."

"When you take to the streets but you are a very small number by comparison to the population, and you force the majority to accept your views, it is not democracy,"he said.

"I think if they (occupy protesters) want to do something, they have to accept other means."

Mahathir said confrontation and violence can not solve the problem because eventually other people will be against the protesters whose actions undermine the economy and affect other people's lives.

As Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, Mahathir said that there should be no confrontations between countries, and conflicts should be solved peacefully.

He stressed that ASEAN brings prosperity and growth to Southeast Asia and does not want to involve in wars or disputes with any countries and there should not be any country that dominates the whole world.

"Confrontation with each other is not the means to solve problem, and we need to sit down and talk. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but it is better to lose through peaceful means than lose through wars,"he said.

The former prime minister expressed confidence that East Asia and Southeast Asia would be peaceful and dynamic if conflicts are resolved through peaceful means, which will also benefit people in the region.

Mahathir, 89,is the fourth prime minister of Malaysia. His 22- year term from 1981 to 2003 made him the longest-serving prime minister in Malaysia. His political career spanned almost 40 years.