Mahathir Mohamad
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became Malaysia’s fourth, and longest-serving, Prime Minister, on 16th July 1981. He is known as Malaysia’s “Father of Modernisation” for his successes in transforming Malaysia into a modern, industrial powerhouse. Tun stepped down as Prime Minister on 31st October 2003. In a stunning political comeback, the coalition he established in 2017 to challenge the government, won Malaysia’s 14th General Elections in 2018. At the age of 93, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became Malaysia’s 7th Prime Minister.
Tun Dr Mahathir was born on 10th July, 1925 (his official birth date is recorded as 20th December 1925) in Kampung Seberang Perak, Alor Setar, Kedah, described by Tun himself as “the poorer quarters” of town. Tun Mahathir’s parents were Mohamad bin Iskandar and Wan Tempawan binti Wan Hanafi and Tun was the youngest of nine siblings.
He received his early education in his hometown, at Sekolah Melayu Seberang Perak, an all-boys school for two years, then in a government English school where his father was the headmaster. This school would later be renamed Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid. As a student, Tun Dr Mahathir was active in debates and was highly regarded for his English language skills. He was appointed editor of the school magazine, and played in the school’s rugby team.
His education was interrupted when the Japanese launched an incursion into Southeast Asia via Thailand, Penang, and Kelantan, on the 8th of December, days after Tun sat for his Junior Cambridge Examination. Tun attended a Japanese school only briefly, opting instead to help his family by selling food at the nearby Pekan Rabu. After the Japanese surrender, Tun Dr. Mahathir resumed his education at Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid where his first commentary as editor of the school magazine was on the war and the Japanese.
The Japanese occupation had sown the seeds of disillusionment against the British for they had failed to protect the Malay states and the rulers. After the war, Tun Mahathir and his schoolmates protested against the Malayan Union. Tun wrote letters to the Press to state his opposition and also mounted a poster campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of the Malayan Union. After UMNO was established in May 1946, Tun Dr Mahathir was among the first to register to become a member, in full support of the party’s objective of ensuring the dismantling of the Malayan Union.The campaign against the Malayan Union was successful, and the Malayan Union was dismantled in 1948, replaced by the Federation of Malay States that recognised the special position of the Malays.
In 1947, Tun Mahathir gained admission into the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore as a government scholar. During his college years, he wrote for The Sunday Times (now known as The Straits Times) under his pen name, C.H.E Det (Det was his family nickname). Most of his articles were about the problems of the Malays. In 1953, Tun Mahathir graduated and served as a medical officer at Alor Setar General Hospital. While in college, Tun had met Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, also a medical student. In 1956, they were married in a ceremony in Jalan Imbi in KL. They have seven children: Marina, Mirzan, Melinda, Mokhzani, Mukhriz, Maizura, and Mazhar.
Tun left government service in 1957 to set up his own practice, “Maha Clinic”, in Alor Setar, establishing the country’s first Malay-owned private clinic.
Tun Mahathir became active in politics and in 1964, stood for elections in Kota Setar Selatan, and won. In 1965, he was elected to UMNO’s Supreme Council. In 1969, Tun stood for elections again, but this time, he lost to his PAS opponent. The opposition’s win and victory parade in Kuala Lumpur then led to a violent racial clash between the Chinese and the Malays that left almost two hundred people dead. Following the 13th May 1969 race riots, Tun wrote a scathing letter to Tunku, criticising him for his soft approach in economics that Tun felt sidelined the Malays in economic development as it gave free reign to Chinese domination. Because of that letter, he was expelled from UMNO. During his time in the “political wilderness”, Tun continued his private medical practice and wrote his thoughts on the plight of the Malays into a book, “The Malay Dilemma”, which was subsequently banned in Malaya.
Tunku resigned as Prime Minister in 1970, and Tun Abdul Razak Hussein took over. In 1972, Tun Mahathir’s application to rejoin UMNO was accepted. He was appointed Senator in 1973. As he was passionate about education, Tun Mahathir was appointed a Member of the University Court and University Malaya Council. The next year, 1974, Tun contested in the elections and won the Kubang Pasu seat unopposed. He was appointed Malaysia’s Minister of Education, and ended his private medical practice.
In 1976, Tun Dr. Mahathir was made Deputy Prime Minister and two years later, he took on the post of Minister of Trade and Industry where he led several investment promotion missions overseas. In 1981, after Tun Hussein Onn stepped down as Prime Minister due to ill health, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became UMNO’s President and Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister.
Under his leadership, Malaysia transformed from being an agricultural country to a modern, industrial nation. Tun emphasized a clean, efficient government, and launched the Bersih, Cekap & Amanah campaign (Clean, Efficient, & Trustworthy) to reduce corruption, promote efficiency, and nurture trust in the public service. Other innovations he introduced to the public administration system were to insist that government employees clock in and out each day as well as wear name tags.
In his drive to industrialise Malaysia, Tun established a national car company, PROTON, and in 1982, the company produced its first ever Malaysian-made car, the Proton Saga. He also introduced closer partnerships between government and the private sector through the “Malaysia Incorporated” concept. Tun is also remembered for Vision 2020, a bold vision for the country to attain fully-developed economy status by the year 2020, not just in terms of economic growth but also in terms of education, societal maturity, and governance. Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister between 1981 and 2003, leading UMNO and BN to successive election victories. Mahathir emphasized economic development during his tenure, in particular the export sector, as well as large scale infrastructure projects. Mahathir attributed the success of the Asian tiger economies to the "Asian values" of its people, which he believed were superior to those of the West. Mahathir sharply criticized the International Monetary Fund (IMF), international financiers such as George Soros, and Western governments during the sharp economic and financial crisis that affected Asia in 1997-8, and denied that the downturn was due to the failures of corruption and "crony capitalism."
Mahathir's policies were based on an affirmative action program that offered school slots, cheap loans, and insider business deals and contracts to the Muslim Malays, who traditionally had been the poorest Malaysians despite being the majority. The affirmative action economic policies quickly turned into cronyism: only a handful of well-connected Malays got really rich. Nowhere was the business-politics connection clearer than when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister. Dr Mahathir initiated an aggressive privatisation policy and involved the private sector in key strategic sectors. This saw many individuals said to have close ties with Dr Mahathir growing their business empires.
The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials often engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. The media reported numerous cases of alleged official corruption. There was a broadly held perception of widespread corruption and cronyism within the governing coalition and in government institutions.
After leading the National Front to successive victories in the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995 and 1999 General Elections, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. stepped down as Prime Minister on 31st October 2003. Writing is one of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s passions as he started writing while in school, and continued writing articles, books, and now, blogposts, throughout his career (his blog is located at http://www.chedet.cc). Tun Dr. Mahathir is also an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction. His favourite authors include Wilbur Smith, Dick Francis, and Ken Follett. He also loved horse-riding.
Post-retirement, Tun was appointed Honorary President of Perdana Leadership Foundation, a research and archive centre to document the contributions of all past Prime Ministers of Malaysia. Tun is also President of the anti-war Perdana Global Peace Foundation, and is the Chairman of the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War.
The end of Mahathir's tenure was marred by a falling out with his deputy and presumed successor, Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar was touted as a potential prime minister under former leader Mahathir Mohammad but their friendship soured over Anwar’s political ambitions and differences over how best to handle the 1997 Asian financial crisis. In September 1998, Mahathir dismissed Anwar and accused him of sodomy and corrupt conduct. Although Anwar was convicted on both charges in 1999 and 2000, the trials were viewed as seriously flawed. Malaysia's Federal Court eventually freed Anwar after overturning his immoral conduct conviction in September 2004 after he served six years behind bars.
Ever since their falling out in 1998, which led to the massive ‘Reformasi’ movement that saw Mahathir oust and jail his deputy Anwar Ibrahim on contested charges, these two enigmatic figures have been the polarising factor in Malaysian politics. Things miraculously changed however when Mahathir came back from retirement and fought together with Anwar’s party (which was set up to oppose him), and unseated the incumbent Barisan Nasional coalition (which they both previously helmed) led by Najib Razak, who brought infamy to the country in the shape of the massive 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal.
The National Front obtained only 79 of the 222 parliamentary seats on 08 May 2018, losing power to a four-party opposition alliance headed by veteran politician Mahathir Mohamad. The National Front obtained only 79 of the 222 parliamentary seats.
Mahathir, who was sworn in as prime minister on 10 May 2018, vowed to investigate a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was founded by Najib. US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions called the 1MDB scandal "kleptocracy at its worst" and the fund is the subject of money-laundering investigations in at least six countries, including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on 12 May 2018 resigned as head of his Malay party to take responsibility for the electoral defeat that ended his coalition's 60-year grip on power. Razak said he and his family would respect an immigration department ban on his travel abroad and stay in the country. Najib had said that he and his family were taking a holiday overseas from Saturday and would return next week. But, moments later, the immigration department said that Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, were blacklisted from leaving Malaysia.
In 2016, Tun Dr Mahathir left UMNO, in protest against Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s leadership, and formed a new political party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM). In 2017, at the age of 92, he re-entered the political fray, this time as leader of the Opposition pact, Pakatan Harapan. In 2018, making a stunning political comeback at the age of 93, the coalition he led won the general elections and he was elected as Malaysia’s 7th Prime Minister.
On June 21, 2019 Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has vowed not to leave Malaysia in shambles when he eventually steps down as prime minister. The 93-year-old said it was his intention to continue working hard for the country and resolve the problems at hand. “The last thing I want to do is to go away leaving this country (Malaysia) in shambles like the previous one (prime minister). So I am working hard for the country to the best of my ability, and hopefully we’ll be able to make corrections and solve most of the problems we’ve inherited (from the previous government),” he said.
The Southeast Asian nation was plunged into turmoil after Mahathir's "Pact of Hope" alliance, which stormed to a historic victory in 2018, collapsed amid bitter infighting. Whatever the outcome of coalition talks, it will mark yet another realignment of politics just two years after Mahathir made a stunning political comeback to topple former leader Najib Razak and bring down the party that had ruled for six decades - and which he led once.
Mahathir Mohamad called for a united government without political parties 26 February 2020 after his shock resignation as prime minister sparked turmoil. But old rival Anwar Ibrahim's supporters said his candidacy had been put forward for Prime Minister. The struggle between Mahathir, 94, and Anwar, 72, who formed a surprise pact to win the 2018 election, has shaped politics in the Southeast Asian country for more than two decades and was the root of the latest crisis.
Mahathir, the world's oldest head of government, resigned on 24 February 2020 but was immediately named by the king as interim prime minister. In his first address since his resignation, Mahathir apologized for the turmoil but said he was ready to return as prime minister full time if he garnered enough support. "Politics and political parties need to be put aside for now," Mahathir said in a televised message. "I propose a government that is not aligned with any party, but only prioritizes the interests of the country."
From May 2018 until his shock resignation on 24 February 2020, Malaysia was ruled under a coalition government by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had also served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003. Dr Mahathir’s most recent tenure in office was initially meant to be a caretaker government while his protege and designated successor, Anwar Ibrahim, awaited release from prison a royal pardon for a sodomy conviction.
The Hon. Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim was sworn in 04 August 2019 as Member of Parliament of the House of Representatives before the Speaker of the House, Hon. Datuk Mohamad Ariff bin Md Yusof. The ceremony was witnessed by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Hon. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Dato’ Seri Dr. Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail. Recently, the Hon. Dato’ Seri Anwar achieved a landslide victory in the Port Dickson by-election on 13 October after defeating six other contenders who were PAS and independent candidates with a 31,016-vote majority. The Port Dickson by-election was held after its incumbent Member of Parliament Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah vacated his parliamentary seat on 12 September 2019, paving the way for Hon. Dato’ Seri Anwar to stand for election.
On 21 February 2020 the presidential council of Dr Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) party met to discuss a plan for Mahathir to step down and make way for Mr Anwar, who led the People’s Justice Party (PKR), to finally take office.
Mahathir Mohamad claimed on 01 March 2020, that PKR president Anwar Ibrahim was “crazy” about the post of Malaysia’s prime minister. Mahathir, 94, said: “Anwar was definitely ‘crazy’ about becoming the prime minister. But he cannot be (PM) because in the past, he had so much support. But now, people support me and saying please do not let him become (PM).” Mahathir explained he had thought that by resigning, Anwar could potentially have the chance to take over his place.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Anwar Ibrahim said the time has come to close ranks as Malaysia’s economy at the moment was in dire straits, and it was where the attention of all should be. On whether the eight prime minister’s post was stolen from him, Anwar replied: “Clearly there was treachery, but as I said, we have to move on.” In response to queries if he would join the new government, Anwar said; “They have reached out a long time ago, but I stick to my principles.... Although, the Malays are the majority, it is a multiracial country.... I do not condone any racist agenda. I believe that the plight of the people, poor men and women, irrespective of race, must be given priority.”
In an attempt to end the crisis, the king met all 222 elected members of parliament over the last two days. Those in attendance said they were asked to name their most favored candidate or whether they preferred fresh elections. The members of Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat, or the People's Justice Party, said that his name had been submitted to the king. The party has 39 seats and alliance partners could potentially give it another 62. Anwar later said he opposed forming a "backdoor government" and that three parties from the former Pakatan ruling coalition had proposed his name to the king as candidate for prime minister.
Mahathir, a former medical doctor, is credited with transforming Malaysia into an industrial nation from a rural farming backwater when he previously served as prime minister from 1981 until his retirement in 2003.
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