Mahathir Mohamad turns 100 and continues to influence Malaysia politics. Here’s how

Malaysia’s former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad turns 100 today.

Mahathir is one of the most important and influential figures in Malaysia’s history.

The country’s longest-serving Prime Minister only demitted office in 2020.

But who is he? What do we know about him? How does he continue to influence Malaysia politics?

Let us take a closer look

Who is he?

Mahathir was born on July 10, 1925 in the town of Alor Setar in what was then British-ruled Malaysia.

His father, Mohamad Iskandar, was a schoolteacher of Indian descent.

His mother, Wan Tempawan Wan Hanapi, was a Malay.

Mahathir has described his mother as the most important person in his life.

“She brought me up, she taught me the way I should behave, the things I should do,” Mohamad said in an interview years ago.

Mahathir in the interview said he led a very simple life growing up in his multiracial village.

However, he remembered being bothered by the way things were even then.

“I wanted to be proud of the achievement of the Malays, but I couldn’t find anything to be proud of as far as the position of the Malays was concerned under British rule,” Mohamad added.

Mahathir attended the Sultan Abdul Hamid College.

He then studied medicine at the University of Malaya in Singapore on a scholarship.

This is where he met his future wife Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.

He would open up a Klinik Maha in Alor Setar’s Kedah – the first Malay-owned private clinic in the city – and practise as a doctor for the next two decades.

Mahathir first became a member of Malaysia’s Parliament in 1964 as a member of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).

In 1981, he took charge as Malaysia’s fourth prime minister.

He was the first commoner to hold that office.

He would hold the reins of power for 22 long years.

Many credit Mahathir’s policies for turning Malaysia into an economic powerhouse –  “ the fifth Tiger of Asia” – in the 1980s and 1990s.

Malaysia turned from a nation that exported tin, rubber and palm oil into a country that made and exported hi-tech material.

He is known as the “Father of Malaysian Modernisation”.

Mahathir resigned from the top job in 2003 and retired from public life in 2008.

However, another dramatic act was to follow.

Mahathir had been a massive critic of prime minister Najib Razak, who became embroiled in the 1MBD corruption scandal.

Razak was accused of embezzling $700 million from 1MBD.

In 2018, Mahathir in a stunning move announced he was running for prime minister yet again.

He pulled out the victory and was appointed prime minister for the second time.

Mahathir, who became Malaysia’s seventh prime minister, was 92-years-old.

How does he continue to influence Malaysia’s politics?

Mahathir’s sway within Malaysia has somewhat declined since 2020 , when he stepped down as prime minister.

He lost his own seat in 2022 with a mere 7 per cent of the vote and he has fallen out of favour with his party.

However, he remains a highly visible and influential critic of the government.

In an op-ed on Friday, Mahathir took aim at Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement that billions of dollars had poured into the country via in foreign direct investments (FDI).

Mahathir, slamming them as “invisible”, wrote, “We want more visits to foreign countries so that more invisible FDI will come”.

Anwar is a former protégé turned rival of Mahathir.

In 1997, he was deputy prime minister under Mahathir

Mahathir sacked Anwar on charges of corruption and sodomy.

The two men later reconciled in 2018 to get rid of Najib, who has since been jailed in the 1MDB corruption scandal.

“Najib thought that it doesn’t matter if people know he’s corrupt, because … with the money, he will remain as Prime Minister, nobody can touch him.” Mahathir told Time Magazine. “But it didn’t work.”

Mahathir and Anwar eventually had a falling out and are now bitter rivals yet again.

Mahathir has accused Anwar of corruption.

“Anwar is a smart operator,” Mahathir told Time Magazine. “Obviously, you don’t see him taking money, but we know that lots of people are corrupt under his government.”

Anwar, of course, has denied such allegations.

Yet even Anwar took to social media to wish Mahathir on his 100th birthday.

“Azizah and I pray that [Mahathir] is blessed with well-being, peace of mind and strength of body to face a life full of meaning. His healthy and charitable lifestyle sets the example for a nation that is ageing yet filled with high hopes”, Anwar wrote.

Though many have called on Mahathir to remain quiet in retirement, he refuses.

“People come to me telling me about their problems and ask me to say something, so I cannot remain silent,” he earlier told This Week in Asia.

Though he has a history of health issues including heart trouble , Mahathir insists that he is fit in body and mind.

He has attributed his consistent weight of 62 kilos across four decades to eating moderately.

His aides say he remains as sharp as ever.

Mahathir has cited Nelson Mandela and Peter the Great of Russia as his influences.

Mandela, of course, fought apartheid in South Africa, while Peter the Great is widely regarded as a great Russian leader.

Mahathir said Peter the Great “changed a disorganised Russia into a world power.”

Still, some have raised questions about Mahathir’s legacy – particularly his anti-Jewish comments.

Mahathir had referred to the Jews as hooked-nosed and claimed they “rule the world by proxy”.

He blamed Jews for the 1997 financial crisis and took aim at George Soros – a figure constantly reviled by the far-right.

“When I criticise the Jews for doing wrong things, bad things and oppressive things, they label me as an anti-Jew,” he said in an interview. “I’m pointing out that what they were doing is wrong; that is all.”

Experts also point to a falling out with his successors.

“What does this say about the system that Mahathir left behind him?” Francis Hutchinson, coordinator of the Malaysia Studies Program at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, asked Time Magazine. “If you don’t think you have worthy successors, should you not have a system with more checks and balances?”

Still, Mahathir is determined to give as much as he can before he passes.

“Before I die, for as much as I can function,” Mahathir told The New York Times, “I would like to continue my work in trying to contribute to the growth of Malaysia.”

With inputs from agencies