It’s actually pretty mainstream thinking for that era. We Malaysian Chinese school students studied Lu Xun’s True Story of Ah Q in Chinese literature class which was pretty much a book about all the racial faults of the Chinese people. The Japanese who invaded Malaya during Mahathir’s youth were even trying to “rise above” their shameful Asian heritage. Mahathir’s thinking was pretty normal for the era he was born in but the problem is he managed to stay in power & remained influential well into the modern era 🤣

Edit: and this kind of mindset is still present, though somewhat toned down & now with a lot more pride, in the Chinese community (both in China and elsewhere) who still believe in this race-based social Darwinism. This is coming from me having just read a China science fiction novel that’s really about how the Chinese people need to learn to be tough and manly again or risk being wiped out by western foes 😌

i only know Singaporeans like to say things such as : FroM zEro tO hErO... as if the 3 other Asian Tigers didn't start from zero... Japan literally had two suns rising from two cities, Korea was dirt poor, Taiwan was under martial law and had a facist government for many decades.