Malaysia’s longest-serving PM, Dr M, turns 101

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, turned 101 today.

The youngest of nine siblings, Mahathir was born on July 10, 1925 in Alor Setar, Kedah. He has been married to his wife, Dr Hasmah Ali, who turns 100 in two days, since 1956.

At the start of the year, Mahathir was warded at the National Heart Institute after fracturing his hip in a fall at home. He opted for physiotherapy treatment instead of surgery due to his age.

He still makes public appearances, although he has used a wheelchair since the hip fracture. He was most recently seen meeting members of the public in Langkawi last Sunday.

The political veteran spent nearly 70 years traversing Malaysia’s political landscape, and has been an enemy and ally to nearly every party, from Umno to DAP, PKR and even PAS.

The bulk of his political career was spent with Umno, from which he was sacked once before returning and emerging as its president.

Mahathir led the nation as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, then served another brief term after ousting Barisan Nasional in the May 2018 general election.

His second tenure as prime minister ended in February 2020 following the infamous Sheraton Move which led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan-led government.

In his 22 years as the fourth prime minister, Mahathir introduced several initiatives such as the Look East Policy, which promoted education and business ties with nations such as Japan and South Korea, and Proton, the first made-in-Malaysia car.

He also initiated several iconic projects including the Petronas Twin Towers, the KL Tower, KLIA, and Putrajaya as the nation’s administrative hub.

He launched various endeavours to establish Malay political unity, though these efforts have fizzled out.

In May, Mahathir said he had failed to unite the Malays. He previously led Umno, Bersatu, and Pejuang.