Mahathir Mohamad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad DK I (Johor) DK (Kedah) DK (Perlis) DKNS DK I (Brunei) DUK SMN SPMJ SPCM SSDK SSAP SSMT SPNS DUPN SPDK DUNM SBS SUMW DP PIS KmstkNO
محاضر محمد
Mahathir in 2018
4th & 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia
In office 10 May 2018 – 24 February 2020 Interim: 24 February – 1 March 2020
Monarch	Muhammad V Abdullah
Deputy	Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
Preceded by	Najib Razak
Succeeded by	Muhyiddin Yassin
In office 16 July 1981 – 31 October 2003
Monarch	Ahmad Shah Iskandar Azlan Shah Ja'afar Salahuddin Sirajuddin
Deputy	Musa Hitam Ghafar Baba Anwar Ibrahim Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Preceded by	Hussein Onn
Succeeded by	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Political offices held 1st Chairman of the Homeland Fighter's Party In office 12 August 2020 – 17 December 2022 President Mukhriz Mahathir Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Position vacant 1st Chairman of Pakatan Harapan In office 14 July 2017 – 24 February 2020 President Wan Azizah Wan Ismail Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Anwar Ibrahim Chairman of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party In office 7 September 2016 – 28 May 2020 President Muhyiddin Yassin Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Muhyiddin Yassin (acting) 5th President of the United Malays National Organisation In office 28 June 1981 – 31 October 2003 Deputy Musa Hitam Ghafar Baba Anwar Ibrahim Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Preceded by Hussein Onn Succeeded by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Ministerial roles
1974–1978	Minister of Education
1976–1981	Deputy Prime Minister
1978–1981	Minister of Trade and Industry
1981–1986	Minister of Defence
1986–1999	Minister of Home Affairs
1998–1999	Minister of Finance
2001–2003	Minister of Finance
2020	Acting Minister of Education
Other roles
2003	Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement
Personal details
Born	Mahathir bin Mohamad (1925-07-10) 10 July 1925 (age 99) Alor Setar, Kedah, Unfederated Malay States
Nationality	Malaysian
Political party	United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) (1946‍–‍1969, 1972‍–‍2008, 2009‍–‍2016) Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) (2017‍–‍2020) Homeland Fighter's Party (PEJUANG) (2020‍–‍2023) Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (PUTRA) (2023‍–‍present)
Other political affiliations	Barisan Nasional (BN) (1946‍–‍1969, 1972‍–‍2008, 2009‍–‍2016) Pakatan Harapan (PH) (2017‍–‍2020) Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) (2022‍–‍2023) Independent (IND) (1969‍–‍1972, 2008‍–‍2009, 2016, 2020, 2023)
Spouse	Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali ​ (m. 1956)​
Children	7, including Marina, Mokhzani and Mukhriz
Parents	Mohamad Iskandar [ms] (father) Wan Tempawan Wan Hanapi (mother)
Relatives	Ismail Mohamed Ali (brother-in-law)
Residences	No. 58, Mines Resort City, Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia
Education	Sultan Abdul Hamid College
Alma mater	King Edward VII College of Medicine (MBBS)
Occupation	Politician author doctor
Awards	Full list
Signature

Mahathir bin Mohamad (Jawi: محاضر بن محمد; IPA: [mahaðɪ(r) bɪn mohamad]; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and doctor who served as the fourth and seventh prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. With a cumulative tenure of 24 years, making him the longest-serving prime minister in Malaysian history. Before becoming premier, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and in other cabinet positions. He was a Member of Parliament for Langkawi from 2018 to 2022, Kubang Pasu from 1974 to 2004, and Kota Star Selatan from 1964 to 1969. His political career spanned more than 78 years, from joining protests opposing citizenship policies for non-Malays in the Malayan Union in the 1940s to forming the Gerakan Tanah Air coalition in 2022. He was granted the soubriquet "Father of Modernisation" ("Bapa Pemodenan") for his pivotal role in transforming the country's economy and infrastructure. Mahathir played a pivotal role in leading the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan to victory in the 2018 general elections. At the age of 99, he is currently the oldest living former Malaysian prime minister.

Born and raised in Alor Setar, Kedah, Mahathir excelled in his studies and pursued a career in medicine, becoming a physician. His involvement in politics began when he joined the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysia's leading political party advocating Malay interests. His dedication to the party led him to enter the parliament of Malaysia in the 1964 general election, where he served one term before losing his seat. His relationship with the then-Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, deteriorated, leading to his expulsion from UMNO. During his time outside the party, Mahathir published his book The Malay Dilemma in 1970, a work that explored the socio-political and economic challenges facing the Malay community and drew significant attention for its bold views. After Tunku's resignation, Mahathir rejoined UMNO and regained his seat in parliament. His political ascent continued as he was appointed Minister of Education from 1974 to 1978. He subsequently became Minister of Trade and Industry from 1978 to 1981, promoting industrialization to strengthen the national economy. In 1976, he advanced to the position of deputy prime minister, and in 1981, he was sworn in as prime minister, embarking on a historic tenure that would span 22 years and transform Malaysia's political and economic landscape.

During Mahathir's first tenure, Malaysia underwent modernisation and economic growth when his government initiated widespread industry privatisation and a series of bold infrastructure projects, such as the Petronas Towers, the Multimedia Super Corridor, the North-South Expressway, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Putrajaya, and the Penang Bridge. Under his leadership, Malaysia transformed from being an agricultural country to a modern, industrial nation and emerged as one of the most dynamic economies in Southeast Asia. Between 1988 and 1996, Malaysia experienced an 8 percent economic growth rate, during which Mahathir introduced an economic plan, known as The Way Forward or Vision 2020, aiming for the country to achieve fully developed nation status by 2020. Mahathir was a dominating political figure, winning five consecutive general elections and fending off rivals for UMNO's leadership. He continued pro-bumiputera policies, promoted heavy industries such as PROTON, and oversaw Malaysia's relatively fast recovery from the 1997 Asian financial crisis through unconventional economic measures, including currency controls and the fixed exchange rate of the ringgit. His government initiated the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA), transforming Langkawi into a global hub for maritime and aerospace industries. Critics argue that he centralized power by undermining judicial independence and supported a constitutional amendment to remove legal immunity for royalty. In 1987, he detained various activists and religious figures under Operation Lalang, and in 1998, had his deputy Anwar Ibrahim arrested. His record of authoritarianism and curtailment of civil liberties strained relationships with the West. As prime minister, he was an advocate of Asian values and development models, emphasizing self-reliance and regional cooperation. Internationally, Mahathir was particularly prominent across the Muslim world, using Malaysia's growing influence to foster greater unity and development among Islamic nations. His leadership and influence were further recognized on the global stage in 1997, when Asiaweek ranked him second on its list of the 50 most powerful individuals in Asia.

In 2002, Mahathir announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister, officially stepping down in 2003 after 22 years in office, but remained politically influential and was critical of his successors. He published several books, including his memoir A Doctor in the House, and frequently participated in international forums. Mahathir also served as the Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) from 2004 to 2016. He quit UMNO over the 1MDB corruption scandal in 2016, joining BERSATU and leading the Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition to victory in the 2018 general election. This made him the world's oldest serving prime minister at age 92. Following this election victory, Time magazine listed him among the 100 Most Influential People in 2019. During his second tenure, he pledged to investigate the 1MDB scandal, combat corruption, abolished the Goods and Services Tax, and cut spending on large infrastructure projects. He also secured the pardon and release of Anwar Ibrahim, introduced the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, and initiated electoral reforms, such as lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. Internationally, Mahathir launched Malaysia's Foreign Policy Framework in 2019. Mahathir resigned in 2020 amidst a political crisis. He left BERSATU in protest of its new coalition with UMNO, and established the Homeland Fighters Party and coalition Gerakan Tanah Air. Despite losing his parliamentary seat in the 2022 general election, he remained active in politics and shifted party affiliation several times. Mahathir has a history of heart problems and has been hospitalised on several occasions in recent years.

Mahathir's political views are shaped by his Malay nationalism and Islamic religious beliefs. Initially, he was aligned with third-worldism in the 1980s and later advocated for "Asian values" and globalization. He is revered in developing and Islamic nations for Malaysia's economic progress and support of liberal Muslim values. He has evolved from supporting "Ketuanan Melayu" to advocating a "Bangsa Malaysia" that assimilates non-Malays into Malay culture. He criticizes neoliberalism and Western influence, controversially suggesting that the US government was involved in the 9/11 attacks and a group of international elites aim to establish global hegemony. He has also been accused of antisemitism for his comments. On environmental issues, he criticizes the Global North countries for "eco-imperialism" and defends Malaysia's palm oil industry as sustainable, despite international scrutiny linking it to deforestation.

Early life and education

Mahathir's birthplace in Alor Setar.

Mahathir was born at his parents' home in a poor neighbourhood at Lorong Kilang Ais, Alor Setar, the capital of the Malay sultanate of Kedah, which was then a British protectorate, on 10 July 1925. His mother, Wan Tempawan Wan Hanapi, was a Malay of Kedah. His father, Mohamad Iskandar, was a Penang Malay of Malay and Indian descent. Mahathir's paternal grandfather had come from Kerala, British India (present-day, India) and married a Malay woman. But another aspect of Mahathir's birth set him apart from the other first six prime ministers: he was not born into the aristocracy or a prominent religious or political family. Mohamad was the principal of an English-medium secondary school, whose lower-middle-class status meant his daughters were unable to enroll in a secondary school; while Wan Tempawan had only distant relations to members of Kedah's royalty. Both had been married previously; Mahathir was born with six half-siblings and two full-siblings. Currently, his house was converted as Mahathir Mohamad birth house complex and opened to the public.

Mahathir was a hard-working school student. Discipline imposed by his father motivated him to study, and he showed little interest in sports. He won a position in a selective English medium secondary school, having become fluent in English well ahead of his primary school peers. With schools closed during the Japanese occupation of Malaya in World War II, he started a small business, first selling coffee and later pisang goreng (banana fritters) and other snacks.

After the war, Mahathir graduated from secondary school with the highest rank and enrolled to study medicine at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore. Mahathir is an alumnus of the University of Malaya. When the university granted him and his wife honorary degrees in November 2018, he said, "I will always value my stay in Singapore for nearly six years." Singapore's long-time prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was a student at the Raffles College, which merged with the King Edward VII College of Medicine on 8th August 1949 to form the University of Malaya with campuses located solely in Singapore.

After graduating with an MBBS medical degree in Gyneocology and Osterorician, Mahathir worked as a physician in government service before marrying Siti Hasmah in 1956, returning to Alor Setar the following year to set up his own practice. He was the town's first Malay physician and a successful one. He built a large house, invested in various businesses, and employed a Chinese man to chauffeur him in his Pontiac Catalina (most chauffeurs at the time were Malay).

Medical career (1953–1959)

After graduating in 1953, Mahathir spent 4 years as a government doctor in Penang (Penang General Hospital) and Kedah (Alor Setar General Hospital) before resigning to open his private practice, named "Maha Clinic", while his wife worked as a government doctor for 25 years. Mahathir acquired the reputation of being a caring doctor, willing to make house calls at any hour, trudging across rice fields in the dark to treat patients. If they could not afford his fee, they settled by installments or paid what they had. He was the town's first Malay physician and a successful one. He built a large house and employed a Chinese man to chauffeur him in his Pontiac Catalina (most chauffeurs at the time were Malay). Mahathir and Siti Hasmah were also involved in welfare and public health activities. He served as President of the Kedah Tuberculosis Association, visiting Indian workers on rubber plantations to treat the disease, while she volunteered in the Kedah Family Planning Association. With the money from his medical practice, Mahathir indulged in his entrepreneurial streak and invested in property development, tin mining, a franchised petrol station, and a shop to do quick printing–sometimes to rescue Malay businessmen in trouble. He helped found the Malay Chamber of Commerce and served as its director.

Early political career (1959–1970)

Mahathir had been politically active since the end of Malaya's Japanese occupation when he joined protests against citizenship granting to non-Malays under the short-lived Malayan Union. He later argued for affirmative action for Malays at medical college. While at college, he contributed to The Straits Times under the pseudonym "C.H.E. Det" and a student journal, in which he fiercely promoted Malay rights, such as restoring Malay as an official language. While practising as a physician in Alor Setar, Mahathir became active in UMNO; by the time of the first general election for the independent state of Malaya in 1959, he was the chairman of the party in Kedah. Despite his prominence in UMNO, Mahathir was not a candidate in the 1959 election, ruling himself out following a disagreement with then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. The relationship between the two Kedahans had been strained since Mahathir had criticised Tunku Abdul Rahman's agreement to retain British and Commonwealth forces in Malaya after independence. Now Tunku Abdul Rahman opposed Mahathir's plans to introduce minimum educational qualifications for UMNO candidates. For Mahathir, this was a significant enough slight to delay his entry into national politics in protest. The delay did not last for long. In the following general election in 1964, he was elected as the federal parliamentarian for the Alor Setar-based seat of Kota Setar Selatan.

Elected to parliament in a volatile political period, Mahathir, as a government backbencher, launched himself into the main conflict of the day: Singapore's future, with its large and economically powerful ethnic Chinese population, as a state of Malaysia. He vociferously attacked Singapore's dominant People's Action Party for being "pro-Chinese" and "anti-Malay" and called its leader, Lee Kuan Yew, "arrogant". Singapore was expelled from Malaysia in Mahathir's first full year in parliament. However, despite Mahathir's prominence as a backbencher, he lost his seat in the 1969 election, defeated by Yusof Rawa of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). Mahathir attributed the loss of his seat to ethnic Chinese voters switching support from UMNO to PAS (being a Malay-dominated seat, only the two major Malay parties fielded candidates, leaving Chinese voters to choose between the Malay-centric UMNO and the Islamist PAS).

Large government losses in the election were followed by the race riots of 13 May 1969. Hundreds of people were killed in clashes between Malays and Chinese. The previous year, Mahathir had predicted the outbreak of racial hostility. Now, outside parliament, he openly criticised the government, sending a letter to Tunku Abdul Rahman. The prime minister was criticised for failing to uphold Malay interests. The letter, which soon became public, called for Tunku Abdul Rahman's resignation. By the end of the year, Mahathir had been fired from UMNO's Supreme Council and expelled from the party; Tunku Abdul Rahman had to be persuaded not to have him arrested.

While in the political wilderness, Mahathir wrote his first book, The Malay Dilemma. He set out his vision for the Malay community. The book argued that a balance had to be achieved between enough government support for Malays so that their economic interests would not be dominated by the Chinese and exposing Malays to sufficient competition to ensure that over time, Malays would lose what Mahathir saw as the characteristics of avoiding hard work and failing to "appreciate the real value of money and property". The book continued Mahathir's criticism of Tunku Abdul Rahman's government, and it was promptly banned. The ban was only lifted after Mahathir became prime minister in 1981; he thus served as a minister and deputy prime minister while being the author of a banned book. Academics R. S. Milne and Diane K. Mauzy argue that Mahathir's relentless attacks were the principal cause of Tunku Abdul Rahman's downfall and subsequent resignation as prime minister in 1970.

Rise to prominence (1970–1981)

Tunku Abdul Rahman resigned in 1970 and was replaced by Abdul Razak Hussein. Razak encouraged Mahathir back into the party and appointed him as a Senator in 1973. He rose quickly in the Razak government, returning to UMNO's Supreme Council in 1973, and being appointed to Cabinet in 1974 as the Minister for Education. He also returned to the House of Representatives, winning the Kedah-based seat of Kubang Pasu unopposed in the 1974 election. One of his first acts as Minister for Education was to introduce greater government control over Malaysia's universities, despite strong opposition from the academic community. He also moved to limit politics on university campuses, giving his ministry the power to discipline students and academics who were politically active and making scholarships for students conditional on the avoidance of politics.

In 1975, Mahathir ran for one of the three vice-presidencies of UMNO. The contest was considered a battle for the party's leadership succession, with Razak and his deputy, Hussein Onn, declining in health. Each of Razak's preferred candidates was elected: former Chief Minister of Melaka, Ghafar Baba; Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, a wealthy businessman and member of Kelantan's royal family; and Mahathir. When Razak died the following year, Hussein, as his successor, was forced to choose between the three men to be deputy prime minister; he also considered the ambitious minister Ghazali Shafie. Mahathir's rivals had significant political liabilities: Ghazali, having been defeated by the others for a vice-presidency, lacked the support of UMNO members; Ghafar had no higher education and was not fluent in English; and Razaleigh was young, inexperienced and, critically, unmarried. However, Hussein's decision was not easy. Hussein and Mahathir were not close allies, and Hussein knew Mahathir's choice would displease Abdul Rahman, still alive and revered as the father of Malaysia's independence. After six weeks of indecision, Mahathir was, much to his surprise, appointed as Hussein's deputy. The appointment meant that Mahathir was the anointed successor to the prime ministership. However, Mahathir was not an influential deputy prime minister. Hussein was a cautious leader who rejected many of Mahathir's bold policy proposals. While Hussein and Mahathir's relationship was distant, Ghazali and Razaleigh became Hussein's closest advisers, often bypassing the more senior Mahathir when accessing Hussein. Nonetheless, when Hussein relinquished power due to ill health in 1981, Mahathir succeeded him unopposed and with his blessing.

First term as prime minister (1981–2003)

Early years (1981–1987)

Mahathir was sworn in as prime minister on 16 July 1981, at the age of 56. One of his first acts was to release 21 detainees held under the Internal Security Act, including journalist Samad Ismail and a former deputy minister in Hussein's government, Abdullah Ahmad, who had been suspected of being an underground communist. He appointed his close ally, Musa Hitam, as deputy prime minister.

Mahathir exercised caution in his first two years in power, consolidating UMNO's leadership and, with victory in the 1982 general election, the government. In 1983, Mahathir commenced the first of a number of battles he would have with Malaysia's royalty during his premiership. The position of Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Malaysian head of state, was due to rotate into either the elderly Idris Shah II of Perak or the controversial Iskandar of Johor, who had only a few years earlier been convicted of manslaughter. Thus Mahathir had grave reservations about the two Sultans, who were both activist rulers of their own states. Mahathir tried to pre-emptively limit the power that the new Agong could wield over his government, introducing to parliament amendments to the Constitution to deem the Agong to assent to any bill that had not been assented within 15 days of passage by Parliament. The proposal would also remove the power to declare a state of emergency from the Agong and place it with the prime minister. The Agong at the time, Ahmad Shah of Pahang, agreed with the proposals in principle but baulked when he realised that the proposal would also deem Sultans to assent to laws passed by state assemblies. Supported by the Sultans, the Agong refused to assent to the constitutional amendments, which had by then passed both houses of Parliament with comfortable majorities. When the public became aware of the impasse, and the Sultans refused to compromise with the government, Mahathir took to the streets to demonstrate public support for his position in mass rallies. The press took the side of the government. However, a large minority of Malays, including conservative UMNO politicians, and an even larger proportion of the Chinese community supported the Sultans. After five months, the crisis resolved, as Mahathir and the Sultans agreed to a compromise. The Agong would retain the power to declare a state of emergency. However, if he refused to assent to a bill, the bill would be returned to Parliament, which could then override Agong's veto.

A 2012 prototype of the Proton Prevé Sapphire. Mahathir believed that an automotive industry could help turn Malaysia into becoming an industrial nation. His government used tariffs to support the development of the Proton as a Malaysian-made car and limited capital outflow of the ringgit to foreign countries.

On the economic front, Mahathir inherited the New Economic Policy from his predecessors, which was designed to improve the economic position of the bumiputera (Malaysia's Malays and indigenous peoples) through targets and affirmative action in areas such as corporate ownership and university admission. Mahathir also actively pursued privatisation of government enterprises from the early 1980s, both for the liberal economic reasons it was being pursued by contemporaries such as Margaret Thatcher, and because he felt that combined with affirmative action for the Bumiputera it could provide economic opportunities for Bumiputera businesses. His government privatised airlines, utilities and telecommunication firms, accelerating to a rate of about 50 privatisations a year by the mid-1990s. While privatisation generally improved the working conditions of Malaysians in privatised industries and raised significant revenue for the government, many privatisations occurred in the absence of open tendering processes and benefited Malays who supported UMNO. One of the most notable infrastructure projects at the time was the construction of the North–South Expressway, a motorway running from the Thai border to Singapore; the contract to construct the expressway was awarded to a business venture of UMNO. Mahathir also oversaw the establishment of the car manufacturer Proton as a joint venture between the Malaysian government and Mitsubishi. By the end of the 1980s, Proton had overcome poor demand and losses to become, with the support of protective tariffs, the largest carmaker in Southeast Asia and a profitable enterprise.

In Mahathir's early years as prime minister, Malaysia was experiencing a resurgence of Islam among Malays. Malays were becoming more religious and more conservative. PAS, which had in the 1970s joined UMNO in government, responded to the resurgence by taking an increasingly strident Islamist stand under the leadership of the man who in 1969 had defeated Mahathir for his parliamentary seat Yusof Rawa. Mahathir tried to appeal to religious voters by establishing Islamic institutions such as the International Islamic University of Malaysia which could promote Islamic education under the government's oversight. He also attracted Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (ABIM), to join UMNO. In some cases, Mahathir's government employed repression against more extreme exponents of Islamism. Ibrahim Libya, a popular Islamist leader, was killed in a police shoot-out in 1985; Al-Arqam, a religious sect, was banned, and its leader, Ashaari Mohammad, arrested under the Internal Security Act. Mahathir comprehensively defeated PAS at the polls in 1986, winning 83 seats of the 84 seats it contested, leaving PAS with just one MP.

Exerting power (1987–1990)

Any illusion that the 1986 election may have created about Mahathir's political dominance was short-lived. In 1987, he was challenged for UMNO's presidency, and effectively the prime ministership, by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Razaleigh's career had gone backwards under Mahathir, being demoted from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Razaleigh was supported by Musa, who had resigned as deputy prime minister the previous year. While Musa and Mahathir were originally close allies, the two had fallen out during Mahathir's premiership. Musa claimed that Mahathir no longer trusted him. Razaleigh and Musa ran for the UMNO presidency and deputy presidency on a joint ticket against Mahathir and his new choice for deputy Ghafar Baba. The tickets were known as Team B and Team A, respectively. Mahathir's Team A enjoyed the press's support, most party heavyweights, and even Iskandar, now the Agong. However, some significant figures, such as Abdullah Badawi supported Team B. In the election, held on 24 April 1987, Team A prevailed. Mahathir was re-elected by a narrow margin, receiving the votes of 761 party delegates to Razaleigh's 718. Ghafar defeated Musa by a slightly larger margin. Mahathir responded by purging seven Team B supporters from his ministry. At the same time, Team B refused to accept defeat and initiated litigation. In an unexpected decision in February 1988, the High Courts ruled that UMNO was an illegal organisation as some of its branches had not been lawfully registered.

Each faction raced to register a new party under the UMNO name. Mahathir's side successfully registered the name "UMNO Baru" ("new UMNO"), while Team B's application to register "UMNO Malaysia" was rejected. UMNO Malaysia, under Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's leadership and support of both of Malaysia's surviving former prime ministers, Abdul Rahman and Hussein, registered the party Semangat 46 instead. The Lord President of the Supreme Court, Salleh Abas, sent a letter of protest to the Agong. Mahathir then suspended Salleh for "gross misbehaviour and conduct", ostensibly because the letter was a breach of protocol. A tribunal set up by Mahathir found Salleh guilty and recommended to the Agong that Salleh be dismissed. Five other judges of the court supported Salleh and were suspended by Mahathir. A newly constituted court dismissed Team B's appeal, allowing Mahathir's faction to continue to use the name UMNO. According to Milne and Mauzy, the episode destroyed the independence of Malaysia's judiciary.

At the same time as the political and judicial crises, Mahathir initiated a crackdown on opposition dissidents using the Internal Security Act. Mahathir later declared that it was only used to lock up people accused of riots, unlawful assembly, terrorism and those who have murdered police officers. The appointment of several administrators who did not speak Mandarin to Chinese schools provoked an outcry among Chinese Malaysians to the point where UMNO's coalition partners the Malaysian Chinese Association and Gerakan joined the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in protesting the appointments. UMNO's Youth wing held a provocative protest that triggered a shooting by a lone Malay gunman, and only Mahathir's interference prevented UMNO from staging a larger protest. Instead, Mahathir ordered what Wain calls "the biggest crackdown on political dissent Malaysia had ever seen". Under the police operation codenamed "Operation Lalang", 119 people were arrested and detained without charge under the Internal Security Act. Mahathir argued that the detentions were necessary to prevent a repeat of the 1969 race riots. Most of the detainees were prominent opposition activists, including the DAP leader, Lim Kit Siang, and nine of his fellow MPs. Three newspapers sympathetic to the opposition were shut down.

Mahathir suffered a heart attack in early 1989, but recovered to lead Barisan Nasional to victory in the 1990 election. Semangat 46 failed to make any headway outside Razaleigh's home state of Kelantan.

Economic development to financial crisis (1990–1998)

A view of Petronas Twin Towers and the surrounding central business district in Kuala Lumpur.

The expiry of the Malaysian New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1990 allowed Mahathir to outline his economic vision for Malaysia. In 1991, he announced Vision 2020, under which Malaysia would aim to become a fully developed country within 30 years. The target would require average economic growth of approximately seven per cent of gross domestic product per annum. One of Vision 2020's features would be to gradually break down ethnic barriers. Vision 2020 was accompanied by the NEP's replacement, the National Development Policy (NDP), under which some government programs designed to benefit the bumiputera exclusively were opened up to other ethnicities. The NDP achieved success out one of its main aims, poverty reduction. By 1995, less than nine per cent of Malaysians lived in poverty, and income inequality had narrowed. Mahathir also introduced the Bangsa Malaysia policy, which aimed to facilitate greater representation of non-Malay ethnicities in Malaysia. Mahathir's government cut corporate taxes and liberalised financial regulations to attract foreign investment. The economy grew by over nine per cent per annum until 1997, prompting other developing countries to emulate Mahathir's policies. Much of the credit for Malaysia's economic development in the 1990s went to Anwar Ibrahim, appointed by Mahathir as finance minister in 1991. The government rode the economic wave and won the 1995 election with an increased majority.

Mahathir initiated a series of major infrastructure projects in the 1990s. One of the largest was the Multimedia Super Corridor, an area south of Kuala Lumpur, in the mould of Silicon Valley, designed to cater for the information technology industry. However, the project failed to generate the investment anticipated. Other Mahathir projects included the development of Putrajaya as the home of Malaysia's public service and bringing a Formula One Grand Prix to Sepang. One of the most controversial developments was the Bakun Dam in Sarawak. The ambitious hydro-electric project was intended to carry electricity across the South China Sea to satisfy electricity demand in peninsular Malaysia. Work on the dam was eventually suspended due to the Asian financial crisis. The 1997 Southeast Asian haze, the worst haze event in history caused by Indonesian forest fires, was a major air pollution crisis for the country; Mahathir launched a cross-border firefighting operation in response.

In 1997, the Asian financial crisis, which began in Thailand in mid-1997, threatened to devastate Malaysia. The value of the ringgit plummeted due to currency speculation, foreign investment fled, and the main stock exchange index fell by over 75 per cent. At the urging of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government cut government spending. It raised interest rates, which only served to exacerbate the economic situation. In 1998, in a controversial approach, Mahathir reversed this policy course in defiance of the IMF and his own deputy, Anwar. He increased government spending and fixed the ringgit to the US dollar. The result confounded his international critics and the IMF. Malaysia recovered from the crisis faster than its Southeast Asian neighbours. In the domestic sphere, it was a political triumph. Amidst the economic events of 1998, Mahathir had dismissed Anwar as finance minister and deputy prime minister. He could now claim to have rescued the economy despite Anwar's policies. Anwar led the reformasi movement against Mahathir's government in response.

In his second decade in office, Mahathir had again found himself battling Malaysia's royalty. In 1992, Sultan Iskandar's son, a representative field hockey player, was suspended from competition for five years for assaulting an opponent. Iskandar retaliated by pulling all Johor hockey teams out of national competitions. When a local coach criticised his decision, Iskandar ordered him to his palace and beat him. The federal parliament unanimously censured Iskandar, and Mahathir leapt at the opportunity to remove the constitutional immunity of the sultans from civil and criminal suits. The press backed Mahathir and, in an unprecedented development, started airing allegations of misconduct by members of Malaysia's royal families. As the press revealed examples of the rulers' extravagant wealth, Mahathir resolved to cut financial support to royal households. With the press and the government pitted against them, the sultans capitulated to the government's proposals. Their powers to deny assent to bills were limited by further constitutional amendments passed in 1994. With the status and powers of the Malaysian royalty diminished, Wain writes that by the mid-1990s, Mahathir had become the country's "uncrowned king".

Final years and succession (1998–2003)

Mahathir addressing the United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 2003

By the mid-1990s, it became clear that the most serious threat to Mahathir's power was Anwar's leadership ambition. Anwar began to distance himself from Mahathir, overtly promoting his superior religious credentials and appearing to suggest he favoured loosening the restrictions on civil liberties that had become a hallmark of Mahathir's premiership. However, Mahathir continued to back Anwar as his successor until their relationship collapsed dramatically during the Asian financial crisis, with Mahathir abandoning the tight monetary and fiscal policies urged by the IMF. Anwar refused to bail-out Mahathir son, Mirzan Mahathir's, interests in Malaysian International Shipping Corp.

At the UMNO General Assembly in 1998, a leading Anwar supporter, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, criticised the government for not doing enough to combat corruption and cronyism. As Mahathir took the reins of Malaysia's economic policy over the coming months, Anwar was increasingly sidelined. On 2 September, he was dismissed as deputy prime minister and finance minister and promptly expelled from UMNO. No immediate reasons were given for the dismissal. ..... As more allegations surfaced, large public rallies were held in support of Anwar. On 20 September, he was arrested and placed in detention under the Internal Security Act.

..... Before Anwar's trial, Mahathir told the press that he was convinced of Anwar's guilt. He was found guilty in April 1999 and sentenced to six years in prison. .....

While Mahathir had vanquished his rival, it came at a cost to his international community and domestic politics. US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright defended Anwar as a "highly respectable leader" who was "entitled to due process and a fair trial". In a speech in Kuala Lumpur, which Mahathir attended, US Vice-President Al Gore stated that "we continue to hear calls for democracy", including "among the brave people of Malaysia". At the APEC summit in 1999, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien refused to meet Mahathir, while his foreign minister met with Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Wan Azizah had formed a liberal opposition party, the National Justice Party (Keadilan) to fight the 1999 election. UMNO lost 18 seats and two state governments as large numbers of Malay voters flocked to PAS and Keadilan, many in protest at the treatment of Anwar.

In September 2001 debate was caused by Mahathir's announcement that Malaysia was already an Islamic state. At UMNO's general assembly in 2002, he announced that he would resign as prime minister, only for supporters to rush to the stage and convince him tearfully to remain. He subsequently fixed his retirement for October 2003, giving him time to ensure an orderly and uncontroversial transition to his anointed successor, Abdullah Badawi. In a speech made before the Organization of the Islamic Conference shortly before he left office, Mahathir claimed "the Jews rule the world by proxy: They get others to fight and die for them." His speech was denounced by President George W. Bush. Having spent over 22 years in office, Mahathir was the world's longest-serving elected leader when he retired.

Foreign relations

Mahathir with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2003

During Mahathir's term, Malaysia's relationship with the West was collaborative, despite him being known as an outspoken critic. Early during his tenure, a small disagreement with the United Kingdom over university tuition fees sparked a boycott of all British goods led by Mahathir, in what became known as the "Buy British Last" campaign. It also led to a search for development models in Asia, most notably Japan. This was the beginning of his famous "Look East Policy". Although the dispute was later resolved by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Mahathir continued to emphasise Asian development models over contemporary Western ones. He particularly criticised what he believed were the double standards of Western nations.

United States

Mahathir was publicly critical of the foreign policy of the United States from time to time, particularly during the George W. Bush presidency. Nevertheless, relations between the two countries were still positive. The United States was the biggest foreign investment source and was Malaysia's biggest customer during Mahathir's rule. Furthermore, Malaysian military officers continued to train in the US under the International Military Education And Training (IMET) program. The BBC reported that relations with the United States took a turn for the worse in 1998 when Al Gore, Vice President of the United States, gave a speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference hosted by Malaysia. Gore stated that:

Mahathir greeting US Secretary of Defense William Cohen in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 during Pacific Dialogue Conference

..... U.S. News & World Report called the trial a "tawdry spectacle." Also, Anwar was the preeminent Malaysian spokesperson for the economic policies preferred by the IMF, which included interest-rate hikes. An article in Malaysia Today commented that "Gore's comments constituted a none-too-subtle attack on Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and more generally on governments, including Japan, that resist US demands for further market reforms."

During the ASEAN meeting in 1997, Mahathir made a speech condemning the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, suggesting its revision. He said that in Asia, the society's interests are more important than an individual's interests. He added that Asians need economic growth more than civil liberties. These remarks did not endear him to US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was a guest at the meeting and paid a visit to Anwar's wife following his firing and subsequent imprisonment.

The United States government has previously criticised the Malaysian government for implementing the ISA, and Mahathir has not hesitated to point to the United States to justify his own actions. In speaking of arbitrary detention without trial of prisoners of conscience in Malaysia, he said: "Events in the United States have shown that there are instances where certain special powers need to be used in order to protect the public for the general good." In 2003, Mahathir spoke to the Non-Aligned Movement in Kuala Lumpur. He blamed Western nations and Israel for a global rise in terrorism: "If innocent people who died in the attack on Afghanistan and those who have been dying from lack of food and medical care in Iraq are considered collaterals, are the 3,000 who died in New York and the 200 in Bali also just collaterals whose deaths are necessary for operations to succeed?" He also said: "If we think back, there was no systematic campaign of terror outside Europe until the Europeans and the Jews created a Jewish state out of Palestinian land." A 2003 house hearing by the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific of the U.S. House International Relations Committee (now called the House Committee on Foreign Affairs) summarises the relationship between the United States and Malaysia as follows: "Despite sometimes blunt and intemperate public remarks by Prime Minister Mahathir, U.S.-Malaysian cooperation has a solid record in areas as diverse as education, trade, military relations, and counter-terrorism."

Australia

Mahathir's relationship with Australia (the closest country in the Anglosphere to Malaysia and the one whose foreign policy is most concentrated on the region) and his relationship with Australia's political leaders was particularly rocky. Relationships between Mahathir and Australia's leaders reached a low point in 1993 when Paul Keating described Mahathir as "recalcitrant" for not attending the APEC summit. The Malaysian government threatened trade sanctions as a response, while the Australian government claimed that Keating's description was a linguistic gaffe, and that what he had in mind was "intransigent".

Singapore

Relations with Singapore under Mahathir's tenure were stormy. Many disputed issues raised during his administration were still not resolved as of 2018. Issues included disputes about the Malaysia–Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990, a dispute over water prices, the proposed replacement of the Johor-Singapore Causeway and the dispute over the island Pedra Branca.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Malaysian-Bosnian and Herzegovinian friendship bridge in Sarajevo.

Mahathir was a prominent international advocate for Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina during his tenure, and his government permitted Bosnians to come to Malaysia without a visa during the Bosnian War. He was influential in the establishment of an OIC summit in Karachi in 1993 to discuss the need for weapons for Bosnia during the War. Malaysia also send UN Peacekeeping forces to the country and was part of the Contact Group advocating for Bosnia at the UN. Mahathir also opened a bridge of Malaysian-Bosnian and Herzegovinian friendship in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. On 11 November 2009, he also chaired closed-door meeting of leading investors at the Malaysia Global Business Forum – Bosnia, which was also attended by then-president Haris Silajdžić.

Retirement and post–first term premiership (2003–2015)

Mahathir at National Day celebrations in August 2007

Mahathir with the former President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaimiev in June 2010

Mahathir met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, 2 March 2012

On his retirement, Mahathir was named a Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm, the highest honor in Malaysia, allowing him to adopt the title of "Tun". Under Mahathir's leadership, Malaysia was transformed into an industrialising nation. He pledged to leave politics "completely", rejecting an emeritus role in Abdullah's cabinet. Abdullah immediately made his mark as a quieter and less adversarial premier. With stronger religious credentials than Mahathir, he beat back PAS's surge in the 1999 election and lead the Barisan Nasional in the 2004 election to its biggest win ever, taking 199 of 219 parliamentary seats. On 23 October, Mingguan Malaysia published an exclusive interview with Mahathir, marking his first since retiring as Prime Minister.

After retiring, Mahathir maintained a busy schedule, engaging in various activities and speaking engagements both locally and internationally. He emphasized the importance of staying active, stating, "Never retire. You have to work. When you work, it will keep you alive."

Mahathir was the CEO and Chairman, and hence a senior adviser, for many flagship Malaysian companies such as Proton, Perdana Leadership Foundation and Malaysia's government-owned oil and gas company Petronas. He did not receive any remuneration for his advisory positions. He was also made Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) Chancellor in 2004, succeeding the late Raja Mohar Raja Badiozaman. On June 15 of the same year, Mahathir was appointed chairman of the NAM Business Council International Advisory Panel.

Mahathir and Abdullah had a major fallout over Proton in 2005. While Abdullah was attempting to reform the company and implemented high import tariffs on foreign cars, Mahathir accused Abdullah's government of cronyism in relation to import licences. Proton's chief executive, a Mahathir ally, had been sacked by the company's board. With Abdullah's blessing, Proton then sold one of its prise assets, the motorcycle company MV Agusta, which was bought on Mahathir's advice.

Mahathir criticised the awarding of import permits for foreign cars, which he claimed were causing Proton's domestic sales to suffer, and attacked Abdullah for cancelling the construction of a second causeway between Malaysia and Singapore.

Mahathir complained that his views were not getting sufficient airing by the Malaysian press. In response, be began writing a column for Malaysiakini and starting his own blog. He unsuccessfully sought election from his local party division to be a delegate to UMNO's general assembly in 2006, where he planned to initiate a challenge to Abdullah's leadership. Mahathir had previously missed the Umno General Assembly twice since 2006 due to health reasons. After the 2008 election, in which UMNO lost its two-thirds majority in parliament, Mahathir resigned from the party. When Abdullah was replaced by his deputy Najib Razak in 2009, Mahathir re-joined the party.

Mahathir met with former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, 27 December 2013

Mahathir established the Kuala Lumpur Initiative to Criminalise War Forum in an effort to end war globally, as well as the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission to investigate the activities of the United States, Israel and its allies in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. In March 2015, Mahathir attended a conference where he stated his belief in a "New World Order", where an elite would attempt rule the planet in a single world government, and exterminate billions of humans.

Return to politics (2015–2018)

Mahathir repeatedly called for prime minister Najib Razak to resign over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal. On 30 August 2015, he and Siti Hasmah attended the Bersih 4 rally, a mass protest organised in response to the scandal. In 2016, Mahathir chaired the Malaysian Citizens' Declaration, which brought together several political figures and non-governmental organisations in calling for Najib's resignation. In this declaration, Mahathir listed 37 points. Later, the Citizens' Declaration reached one million signatures in May of the same year.

Mahathir left UMNO in 2016, and formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU). The new party was officially registered on 9 September 2016, and Mahathir became its chairman. By 2017, he had officially joined the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan. Negotiations then took place between different factions of the coalition for Mahathir to become the chairman and prime ministerial candidate. He assumed the position of chairman on 14 July 2017, despite reservations from supporters of Anwar Ibrahim, who could not contest in polls himself while imprisoned.

In 2017, Mahathir referred to Najib as "a prime minister who came from 'Bugis pirates'" and remarked, "go back to Sulawesi". Bugis people in Malaysia and Indonesia criticised his language and protested against him.

In early 2018, Mahathir was announced as Pakatan Harapan's prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming general election. Wan Azizah, wife of his former political enemy Anwar, ran as his deputy. Mahathir's election promise was to seek a pardon for Anwar, in order to allow him to take over as prime minister after an interim period.

Second term as prime minister (2018–2020)

Mahathir meets with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2018

Mahathir and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, 15 July 2018

Following Pakatan Harapan's election victory on 10 May 2018, Mahathir hoped to be sworn in as the new prime minister by 5pm. Concerns for a smooth power transition emerged as Najib, although admitting the defeat of his party and coalition during a press conference at 11 am, declared that no party has achieved a simple majority win (due to the fact that the opposing coalition were competing as allied individual parties, and was not successfully registered as a single unit by the Electoral Committee). The appointment of the office was therefore responsibility of Malaysia's monarch. Nevertheless, the National Palace of Malaysia had promptly issued a royal statement, confirming Mahathir Mohamad will be sworn in as the prime minister at 9:30 pm, on the same day (10 May 2018), and had strongly refuted any claims of delaying the appointment. At 10 pm, Mahathir was officially sworn in as prime minister.

Mahathir and President of Indonesia Joko Widodo in Putrajaya, 9 August 2019

Mahathir and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, 26 October 2019

Mahathir became the world's oldest serving state leader (aged 92 years, 304 days at the time), and the first Malaysian prime minister not to represent UMNO. His deputy, Wan Azizah became the first female deputy prime minister of Malaysia.

In April 2019, Mahathir was listed among Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2019.

Domestic affairs

Following his appointment as prime minister, Mahathir promised to "restore the rule of law", and make elaborate and transparent investigations into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal. Mahathir told the press that Najib Razak would face consequences if found guilty of wrongdoing. Mahathir instructed the Department of Immigration bar Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor from leaving the country after they attempted to fly to Indonesia.

Mahathir formed his seventh cabinet of 29 ministers in June 2018. He abolished the unpopular Goods and Services Tax, reducing it from six to zero per cent. Mahathir also vowed to cut fiscal spending by firing thousands of civil servants, cancelling an expensive Kuala Lumpur–Singapore high-speed rail link and cutting back on large infrastructure projects initiated under Najib. Malaysia's freedom of the press improved slightly under Mahathir's tenure, and the country's rank rose in the Press Freedom Index.

On 20 June 2018, Mahathir met the father of murdered Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu and agreed that the case of her murder should be reopened.

During an October 2018 lecture to university students in Bangkok, Thailand, Mahathir expressed resistance to expanding LGBT rights in Malaysia. Contrasting them with those in Western nations, he said "we do not accept LGBT but if they want to accept, that is their business. Don't force it on us... The institution of marriage, the institution of the family has now been disregarded in the West. Why should we follow that? Our value system is as good".

Mahathir announced the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 in October 2019, which set out to increase the incomes all ethnic groups, to increase focus on the technology sector and for Malaysia to become a high income country by 2030. In the announcement, he vowed to move pass what he called the "abuse of power" and "corruption" of the previous administration to achieve this.

Another priority of his administration was a more transparent approach to defence, and would release the country's first defense policy white paper outlining long-term plans for the country.

Foreign relations

On 21 May 2018, Mahathir meets with United States Ambassador to Malaysia Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir

Early in his second tenure, Mahathir visited Japan and Indonesia to reaffirm good relations, and reignited a water dispute with Singapore. Malaysia launched a foreign policy framework in late 2019.

Mahathir condemned the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 and the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani by the United States in 2020.

Mahathir refused to extradite Zakir Naik, an Indian Islamic preacher who was accused of money laundering by Indian authorities. Mahathir extradited Turkish national Arif Komis and his family, who were holding UNHCR refugee cards, in August 2019. Komis was later charged by the Turkish government for being part of the Gülen movement.

Mahathir received an honorary doctorate from Qatar University in December 2019.

North Korea

Mahathir was supportive of the 2018–19 Korean peace process. He said "the world should not treat North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with skepticism and instead learn from his new attitude towards bringing about peace". In a joint press conference in Tokyo with Japan after the 2018 US-North Korea summit, Mahathir said: "We hoped for a successful outcome from the historic meeting", adding that "Malaysia will re-open their embassy in North Korea as an end to the diplomatic row over the assassination of Kim Jong-nam last year".

Israel and Palestine

The 2019 World Para Swimming Championships were set to take place in Malaysia, but Mahathir's government announced it would ban athletes from Israel from the competition in solidarity with the Palestinian National Authority. The Malaysian Paralympic Council said they were following government policy, as Malaysia bans Israeli passport holders from entering the country. Mahathir stood by the decision, saying that Israel is "a criminal nation which does not obey international laws" and stressed that two countries would not establish ties. On 27 January 2019, Malaysia was stripped of their hosting rights because of the decision, and on 15 April 2019, London was announced as the replacement host.

China and Hong Kong

Mahathir's administration was committed to retaining good relations with China, but promised to review all Belt and Road Initiative projects in Malaysia that were initiated by the previous government. He characterised these as "unequal treaties", and the government suspended work on the East Coast Rail Link and continued it after terms had been renegotiated. Mahathir cancelled approximately $2.8 billion worth of deals with China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau altogether, saying Malaysia would not be able to repay its obligations to China.

Mahathir said about China's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, "We can condemn [China] but the fact is that the condemnation alone would not achieve anything."

In 2019, Mahathir said he is in the opinion that Carrie Lam should resign as the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, fearing a repeat of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. He added that Lam already knew "the consequences of rejecting [the extradition] law" as she was in a dilemma when she has to obey her Mainland masters.

On 13 February 2020, Mahathir communicated his solidarity with Chinese President Xi Jinping as China responded to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that the two leaders had a 30-minute phone conversation on the ongoing epidemic, and spoke of mutual understanding and close cooperation in dealing with the epidemic and to minimise its impact.

On 26 September 2018, Mahathir met with the Iran President Hassan Rouhani on the occasion of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly

2020 political crisis and resignation

According to Reuters, Mahathir and other MPs had begun discussing forming a new coalition government to avoid passing the premiership to Anwar Ibrahim in late 2019, in contrast with the pre-election agreement. Mahathir felt that Anwar would be unable to command a parliamentary majority. Opposition party members Muhyiddin Yassin and Azmin Ali had approached Mahathir about forming one, but Mahathir declined, refusing to work with any UMNO leaders over ongoing corruption trials.

In February 2020, disagreements over who should lead the government caused the Pakatan Harapan coalition to collapse and culminated in a political crisis. MPs supporting Anwar first confronted Mahathir in a meeting and demanded a timeframe for his resignation and the handover of power to Anwar. Other MPs from several political parties held their own meetings to discuss forming a new government, with Mahathir remaining Prime Minister; Mahathir himself was not present. Around 131 MPs, including various opposition party leaders, gathered at the Sheraton Hotel, Petaling Jaya for a dinner party celebrating a "consensus" among MPs. Anwar Ibrahim later confirmed that the attempt to create a new governing coalition made up of BERSATU and a faction of the PKR, adding that he had been "betrayed".

Anwar, Mahathir and other Pakatan leaders met the following day to seek clarification; Mahathir said he was not involved in the attempt to form a new governing coalition.

Mahathir submitted his resignation to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdullah of Pahang on 24 February 2020, refusing to work with UMNO leaders in a new government. The Agong accepted Mahathir's resignation, and appointed him as interim prime minister until a replacement could be appointed. BERSATU President Muhyiddin Yassin declared the party's withdrawal from the Pakatan Harapan coalition, causing a loss of parliamentary majority; Mahathir resigned from the party in response.

On 29 February, the Agong appointed Muhyiddin prime minister, determining that he was "most likely to have received the trust of the majority" of MPs. Muhyiddin was sworn in as prime minister the following day. Mahathir challenged this, but his attempts to contact the Agong to seek legitimacy for his support were not answered. He left the Prime Minister's office an hour before Muhyiddin was sworn in.

Post–second term premiership (2020–present)

Mahathir meets with United States Ambassador to Malaysia Brian D. McFeeters on 22 November 2021

On 15 April 2022, Mahathir met with Takahashi Katsuhiko, Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia

Mahathir formed the Homeland Fighter's Party (PEJUANG) in August 2020. Four other MPs joined the new party, including Mahathir's son Mukhriz. The party was registered in July 2021. In August 2021, Mahathir and other MPs protested in Merdeka Square, calling for Muhyiddin's resignation over the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, after being blocked from entering parliament by police.

In April 2022, UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi filed a defamation lawsuit against Mahathir. In June 2022, Mahathir made irrendentist comments by stating that Singapore and the Riau Islands of Indonesia was once owned by Johor, and argued the state should claim them as part of Malaysia.

In September 2022, Mahathir said he was open to becoming the prime minister for a third time if there were no other suitable candidates. Having previously said he would not defend his Langkawi parliamentary seat, he announced he would contest the 2022 general election. In the election on 19 November, Mahathir lost his seat and election deposit, marking his first defeat in 53 years. No candidate from PEJUANG or Gerakan Tanah Air secured a seat. He later said that his party's plans "had to be dropped" and he would shift his focus to writing about Malaysian history.

In February 2023, Mahathir and 13 other members of PEJUANG (leaving his own son as the sole leader of that party) left the party and joined Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra). Later in 2023, Mahathir began promoting a "Malay Proclamation", aimed at uniting Malays. He met with PAS and PN leaders to garner support for the 12-point document listing political, economic and social issues. Mahathir was questioned by police over this campaign under the Malaysian Penal Code, for carrying out "activities that undermine parliamentary democracy". Mahathir also left GTA, criticising the coalition for its poor performance in the election. He supported Perikatan Nasional, the coalition that had ousted him in 2020, in six state elections and was named its "unofficial adviser" for the four state governments under its control.

In January 2024, Mahathir made remarks about Malaysian Indians, claiming that they were not completely loyal to Malaysia as they still identify with their country of origin, India. He argued that they have to identify themselves as Malays and speak Malay instead of Tamil to have the right to call Malaysia the country their own. He further added that non-Malays must assimilate and 'become Malays'. The remarks drew sharp criticisms from various politicians and organisations, notably Minister of National Unity Aaron Ago Dagang, Minister of Digital Gobind Singh Deo, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bagan Lim Guan Eng and Member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Puteri Wangsa Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz.

In January 2024, Mahathir's eldest son Mirzan and second son Mokhzani were summoned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for multiple corruption and abuse of power cases respectively. On 11 March 2024, the MACC announced that the investigation involved the Pandora Files and the Panama Papers. Related figures include Mahathir's two sons, Mirzan and Mokhzani. On 26 March 2024, Bloomberg reported that the purpose of the MACC's investigation of Mirzan and Mozani was to investigate whether Mahathir had corruption and abuse of power during his administration. And on the 31st of the same month, it was confirmed by Mukhriz. On 16 April 2024, Mahathir responded on his blog that the MACC claimed that he had violated the law, but so far it has not been able to produce any relevant evidence. "If there is evidence from the Anti-Corruption Commission, please show relevant evidence." On 25 April 2024, Azam Baki, Chairman of the MACC, confirmed that Mahathir was investigated by the agency due to property declaration.

Political positions and views

Mahathir speak about "The Future of Democracy in Asia" in Chatham House, United Kingdom

Mahathir has been described as a proponent of Malay nationalism. A Muslim thinker, his religious views have been said to have shaped his Islamic political views. Mahathir's influence shaped the role of Islam in Malaysian politics. His political views have shifted considerably during his lengthy career. During the 1980s, he was a supporter of Third-Worldism, while during other periods he has been a proponent of "Asian values" and globalization. He is a critic of the Western world and its geopolitics, and of neoliberalism. Among developing and Islamic countries, Mahathir is generally respected. This is particularly due to Malaysia's economic growth during his tenure, as well as Mahathir's support of liberal Muslim values.

In The Malay Dilemma, he argued that the Malay race had been marginalised, and voiced his support for affirmative action policies for them. Upon his first resignation, he said that he was "disappointed... because I have achieved too little in my principal task of making my race a successful race, a race that is respected". In 2021, Mahathir said he did not believe in "Ketuanan Melayu", calling it a "fantasy", and said instead that he believed in "Bangsa Malaysia".. His policies during his first premiership have been described as "authoritarian" by the BBC. Mahathir opposes expansion of LGBT rights. He has been described as anti-royalist by Libération, and particularly opposed immunity for members of Malaysia's monarchies.

Personal life

Mahathir - Siti Hasmah wedding day (5 August 1956)

Mahathir's hobbies include sailing, horse riding and carpentry. He has built a functioning steam train and a boat. Mahathir attributed his longevity to disciplined eating habits, reading newspapers daily, exercising and maintaining upright posture. His favourite song is "My Way". Mahathir once revealed that he owns close to 40 horses, which were gifted to him. An avid reader, his favourite authors are Wilbur Smith and Jeffrey Archer. Mahathir, known as a workaholic, humorously remarked in 2019 that KSM is the award he adores, explaining that it stood for Kerja Sampai Mati (work till death).

According to the United Press International (UPI), Mahathir enjoys activities such as cooking and driving his family to downtown restaurants, reflecting a preference for simplicity in his personal life. Despite Malaysian culture's traditional emphasis on courtesy and tolerance, Mahathir is known for his focus on detail and emphasis on swift decision-making.

Mahathir's childhood home in Alor Setar, was opened to the public on 19 December, 1992. Named Rumah Kelahiran Mahathir Mohamad, it showcases items such as photographs, personal documents, and medical instruments from his early life. The restoration project, led by the National Archives, was their second after P. Ramlee's house in Penang.

Mahathir and Siti Hasmah with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his partner Honeylet Avanceña, 7 March 2019

On 23 September 2024, Mahathir shared a video of himself driving at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). In the three-minute video, he accelerated and reached a speed of 154 km per hour.

Marriage and family

While in college, he met his future wife, Siti Hasmah, who was also a medical student. They married in August 1956, when Mahathir was 31 and Siti Hasmah was 30. Their daughter, Marina, viewed this as progressive since it was considered a late marriage for their generation. He and Siti Hasmah had their first child, Marina, in 1957, before conceiving four others, Mirzan, Mokhzani, Melinda, and Mukhriz, as well as adopting two more, Maizura and Mazhar, over the following 28 years. On 5 August 2021, Mahathir celebrated his 65th wedding anniversary with Siti Hasmah.

Health

Mahathir has faced several health challenges, including heart problems, pneumonia, and chronic coughs caused by lung infections. However, he mentioned during the International Convention on Biotechnology in 2002 that he successfully overcame his chronic cough by consuming a Chinese medicine containing Tiger Milk Mushroom.

On 22 August 1981, Mahathir fainted from exhaustion during a speech in Kedah but quickly recovered and resumed duties by meeting Thailand's Prime Minister in Bangkok on August 23. Later, he took a two-week vacation in Spain and Portugal to rest.

On 18 January 1989, Mahathir was admitted to the hospital due to chest pains, and subsequently underwent bypass surgery. Despite his doctor’s recommendation for surgery in the US, he insisted on being treated in Malaysia to demonstrate confidence in local medical services. Reflecting on the decision, he noted, “As a doctor myself, I understood the risks, including the possibility of not surviving, as the procedure was not common at the time.” After his recovery, Mahathir left the country on March 12 for visits to London, Spain, and Morocco, where he also met with the Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González. He returned to the country on April 3 and resumed official duties the following day.

On 2 April 1999, Mahathir was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) due to a lung infection after returning from Mecca. He was discharged on 12 April after 11 days of treatment and was advised to rest at home and avoid visitors. Mahathir resumed his duties on 19 April after a week of rest following his treatment.

On 9 November 2006, Mahathir suffered a mild heart attack and was subsequently transferred to the general ward of the IJN after a stable night in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU). He was discharged from the IJN on 14 November.

On 2 September 2007, Mahathir was admitted to the IJN and subsequently underwent his second coronary bypass there successfully. On 13 September, he was moved out of the Intensive Care Unit to a regular ward. On 23 September, he underwent a three-hour procedure to remove infected tissue from a wound. On 25 September, the IJN stated that Mahathir is conscious with his vital parameters stable as he is eased off his support medication. After 50 days in hospital, Mahathir was discharged from the IJN on 21 October.

He was hospitalised for treatment of another chest infection in Australia in October 2010. On 18 November 2013, Mahathir was admitted to the IJN due to a chest infection and underwent treatment, physiotherapy, and monitoring. On 9 August 2016, he admitted to the IJN again to receive treatment for a chest infection. In February 2018, Mahathir was admitted to the IJN for a chest infection after experiencing a bout of coughing. The following year, as prime minister, he attracted attention when he suffered a nosebleed at a press conference.

On 7 March and 27 March 2021, Mahathir received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

In December 2021, Mahathir was admitted to the IJN for a medical check-up and observation. He was discharged after several days. In January 2022, Mahathir underwent an unspecified elective medical procedure at the IJN. He was readmitted later the same month, and placed in the coronary care unit. He continued rehabilitation and treatment after being discharged.

In August 2022, Mahathir tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to the IJN for observation. He was discharged after receiving treatment.

In August 2023, Mahathir was hospitalised with an infection, he was discharged days later. In January 2024, he was again hospitalised due to an infection, and again six months later in July due to coughing.

On 15 October 2024, Mahathir was admitted to the hospital due to a respiratory infection; He was discharged on 28 October.

Cultural depictions

Oil painting of Mahathir by Indian art director Rajasekharan Parameswaran

In November 1995, the UMNO general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre featured the Anugerah art gallery, which showcased portraits of party president Mahathir. Painted over three years by a Russian artist, the portrait was presented to Mahathir by the gallery owner, Ferri Anugerah Maamur. It depicts Mahathir in an oratory pose during the 1994 general assembly, with the Malaysian and UMNO flags in the background. Mahathir was also seen imitating the expression on the portrait exhibited in his honor.

In December 2002, a resilient petunia hybrid named “Mahathir flowers” was introduced by Ipoh nursery owner Hooi Suk Chang to honor Mahathir. The plant, created by cross-breeding imported and local variants, is known for thriving in direct sunlight and various environments.

On 7 October 2003, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin officially opened the photo exhibition A Thousand Faces of Dr Mahathir at the National Art Gallery in Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. The exhibition was organized by the local media, who pooled their resources to showcase memorable images documenting Mahathir's 22-year career as Prime Minister. Within just two days, the exhibition attracted 6,000 visitors. In the same month, The One Academy in Petaling Jaya presented Mahathir with a portrait of himself, further celebrating his contributions to the nation.

On 31 August 2004, the Centre Court of Suria KLCC was transformed into an art gallery for a two-day exhibition titled 22 Years from The HeART as a tribute to Mahathir. The exhibition featured Merdeka-themed paintings by various artists, with each piece representing a year of Mahathir's 22-year tenure as Malaysia's fourth prime minister, capturing key moments in the nation's history.

In 2008, Eugene Yu created a comic strip chronicling the life of Mahathir, from his birth to his retirement as Malaysia's fourth prime minister. In 2010, actor Esma Daniel portrayed Mahathir in Mahathir, the Musical, a Malaysian production staged at Istana Budaya from September 24 to October 4. The musical depicted Mahathir's journey from his humble rural beginnings to becoming Malaysia's Prime Minister in 1981, highlighting key moments in his life and career until his retirement in 2003. Due to overwhelming public response, its run was extended by five days to October 9. Following its initial success, Mahathir, the Musical returned with a sequel in 2011, staged at Istana Budaya from January 21 to 30. In November of the same year, the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) launched the Che Det coffee table book, depicting the great moments in the career of Mahathir as the country's fourth prime minister.

In November 2012, Teater Tun Siti Hasmah was staged at Istana Budaya, with Nazim Othman portraying a young Mahathir and Esma Daniel playing him as Prime Minister. The play, based on the life of Siti Hasmah, highlighted her journey as a doctor, wife, and supporter of Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister. Mahathir was portrayed by Nazril Idrus in the 2013 film Tanda Putera, directed by Shuhaimi Baba.

This mural in Jalan Pekan Melayu, Alor Setar, features Mahathir alongside the Petronas Twin Towers and Proton Saga, symbolizing his legacy as Malaysia's 'Father of Modernisation'.

On 6 June 2015, a mural of Mahathir was unveiled at Jalan Pekan Melayu, Alor Setar, as part of Kedah's 'Tourism Month of the Legend Kedah'. The 30.48-meter-wide mural, featuring Mahathir in traditional Kedah Malay attire alongside the Petronas Twin Towers and Proton Saga, symbolizes his legacy as Malaysia's 'Father of Modernisation'. Created by Mustakim Ismail and his team, the mural was completed in a week and has since become a local and tourist attraction.

Released on 17 September 2015, Kapsul is a science fiction film directed by Martias Ali. The story follows a time capsule of Vision 2020, buried by Mahathir, which is stolen, sending Zohri (played by Faizal Hussein) back to the past. Haeriyanto Hassan portrays Mahathir in the film. Mahathir also makes his acting debut in a cameo role in the film.

From July 24 to November 16, 2016, Ilham Gallery hosted an exhibition titled Era Mahathir, featuring over 44 works by 28 Malaysian artists. The collection included pieces completed during the 22-year administration of Mahathir, a period marked by the nation's transformation from an agrarian economy to an industrialized one. This era saw significant changes in the country's landscape through infrastructure and development projects, fostering a growing sense of national self-confidence symbolized by the slogan "Malaysia Boleh." The exhibition showcased both contemporaneous and recent works, offering insights into the complexities of that period through diverse artistic perspectives. On 13 December, a wax figure of Mahathir was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in Bangkok, Thailand.

In May 2018, Mahathir appeared as a cartoon character in an episode of Upin & Ipin titled Terima Kasih Cikgu (Thank You, Teacher). In the episode, Mahathir is depicted alongside his wife, Siti Hasmah, visiting a kindergarten. In the same June of that year, Malaysian Lego enthusiast Vincent Kiew crafted figures of Mahathir in a grey suit and Siti Hasmah in a pink outfit using Lego bricks, symbolizing their enduring love and Mahathir's influence.

In August 2018, an art exhibition titled Tun M: A Forever Legacy was held at Perdana University, Seri Kembangan, featuring nearly 100 artworks of Mahathir. The pieces, contributed by artists from over 40 countries, also included portraits of Siti Hasmah. Perdana University chief operating officer Norpisah Mat Isa said the exhibition was a tribute to Mahathir's immense contribution to the nation. Mahathir himself later also visited the exhibition. Meanwhile, a group of 20 Lego enthusiasts, after two months of work, unveiled a 76cm x 76cm Lego mural of Mahathir and Siti Hasmah on August 30 at Sunway Pyramid, made with 9,216 custom Lego pieces and featuring a unique "double-mirror" effect that allows viewers to see the images of Mahathir and Siti Hasmah from different angles.

In November 2018, Poh Kong Jewellers Sdn Bhd, Malaysia's largest jewellery retail chain, introduced a new patriotic symbol—the Gold Note of Hope—in honor of Mahathir. The 999.9 fine gold note showcases an autographed portrait of Mahathir, the Jalur Gemilang, iconic national landmarks, and the Bunga Raya, Malaysia's national flower.

On 11 November 2018, Mahathir visited Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) to open the "Splendours of Malaysia – Paintings of Ethnic Cultures of the Land" exhibition. During the event, National Artist Ismail Embong presented Mahathir with a painting depicting his first meeting with Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda in 1988.

The following day, during an official visit to Singapore, an orchid hybrid named “Dendrobium Mahathir Siti Hasmah” was unveiled to honor Mahathir and his wife. The flower features mahogany petals, reddish-brown sepals with white edges, and a purple lip, growing up to 38 cm with 14 to 20 flowers per plant.

On 28 September 2019, a unique exhibition titled Tun M Custom Show was launched in Kuala Lumpur, celebrating Mahathir. The exhibition featured over 40 custom figurines created by local artists to mark Malaysia's Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day celebrations. Each artist was given a six-inch figurine to transform in their own creative way, all aimed at honoring Mahathir. Among them, toy designer Michael Chuah, starting in the same year in March, designed three versions of a vinyl figure of Mahathir, each with unique features.

In 2020, a monument dedicated to Mahathir was erected in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.

On 24 December 2020, a monument dedicated to Mahathir was unveiled in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at Kemal Monteno Park. The grey sculpture, created by artist Enes Sivac, commemorates Mahathir and Malaysia's invaluable assistance during Bosnia and Herzegovina's most challenging times and its recovery period. The monument features the final line of Mahathir's speech at the International Conference of Parliamentarians on Bosnia-Herzegovina, held in Kuala Lumpur. On 25 June 2023, Mahathir visited the monument and shared a photo of himself with it on Instagram, where the post received positive comments from his followers.

A mural painting at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur depicts the timeline of Malaysia's history, with most of it focusing on Mahathir

Election results

Honors, awards and recognitions

In August 2003, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Mahathir the Russian Order of Friendship

Mahathir received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Royal Family Order of Brunei (1997), Order of Mubarak the Great (1997), Honorary Ph.D. in Humanities from the National University of Mongolia (1997), Honorary Ph.D. in Literature from Al-Azhar University (1998), U Thant Peace Award from the United Nations Organization (1999), Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2002), Russian Order of Friendship (2003), Honorary Ph.D. from Tsinghua University (2004), Honorary Ph.D. from the University of Santo Tomas (2012), Honorary Ph.D. in Laws from the National University of Singapore (2018), Japanese Order of the Paulownia Flowers (2018), Honorary Ph.D. from Qatar University (2019), Honorary Ph.D. from the International University of Japan (2019), Order of Pakistan (2019), and the Order of the Republic of Turkey (2019).

Chronology

• 1925: July 10 – Born in Alor Setar, Kedah, as the youngest among nine siblings.
• 1931: Began studies at the Seberang Perak Malay School.
• 1933: Enrolled in an English school, later renamed Sultan Abdul Hamid College (Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid).
• 1942–1945: Education was disrupted during the Japanese occupation of Malaya. Worked selling food in Pekan Rabu to support his family and became politically active, joining organisations like the Kedah Malay Union, Saberkas, and UMNO to oppose the Malayan Union.
• 1947: Gained admission to King Edward VII Medical College in Singapore as a government scholar to study medicine.
• 1953: Graduated as a medical doctor and worked as a Medical Officer at Alor Setar General Hospital.
• 1956: Married Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.
• 1957: Left government service to establish Maha Clinic in Alor Setar.
• 1964: Won the Kota Setar Selatan seat in the general election.
• 1965: Elected as a member of the UMNO Supreme Council.
• 1969: Contested but lost the Kota Setar Selatan seat to a Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) candidate in the general election.
• 1969: Following the May 13 riots, he wrote a critical letter to the Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, leading to his expulsion from UMNO.
• 1970: Authored The Malay Dilemma, which was subsequently banned in Malaysia.
• 1972: Rejoined UMNO and was appointed Senator.
• 1974: Won the Kubang Pasu parliamentary seat unopposed and was appointed Minister of Education.
• 1976: March 5 – Appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry.
• 1981: June 28 – Elected as President of UMNO unopposed during the 32nd UMNO General Assembly.
• 1981: July 16 – Officially sworn in as Malaysia's fourth prime minister at 56 years old.
• 1981: Malaysia initiated the Buy British Last campaign, aiming to reduce reliance on British goods and services.
• 1987: April 24 – Re-elected as UMNO President, narrowly defeating Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
• 1991: Vision 2020 (Wawasan 2020) was introduced, aiming for Malaysia to achieve developed nation status by the year 2020.
• 1995: May 24 – The ruling coalition achieved victory in the 9th General Elections.
• 1997: Steered Malaysia through the Asian Financial Crisis by rejecting International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance and implementing capital controls.
• 1999: January 8 – Appointed Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Deputy Prime Minister.
• 2002: June 22 – Announced resignation from UMNO and government at the UMNO General Assembly.
• 2003: October 31 – Stepped down as Prime Minister, handing over leadership to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
• 2016: Left UMNO in protest against Najib Razak's leadership.
• 2016: Founded Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), which later joined the opposition coalition, Pakatan Harapan.
• 2017: Returned to politics as the leader of the opposition.
• 2018: Announced candidacy for the Langkawi parliamentary seat in the 14th General Election.
• 2018: May 9 – Won the Langkawi seat and became Malaysia's 7th prime minister after the 14th General Election.
• 2019: The government introduced the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, focusing on equitable economic growth across all sectors of society.
• 2020: Resigned as Prime Minister of Malaysia.

See also

In Spanish: Mahathir Mohamad para niños

• Mahathir, the Musical
• Mahathir Science Award
• List of oldest living state leaders