Mahathir Mohamad

Mahathir Mohamad
محاضير محمد
Mahathir in 2018
4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia
In office
10 May 2018 – 24 February 2020[note 1]
Monarchs
DeputyWan Azizah Wan Ismail
Preceded byNajib Razak
Succeeded byMuhyiddin Yassin
In office
16 July 1981 – 31 October 2003
Monarchs
Deputy
Preceded byHussein Onn
Succeeded byAbdullah Ahmad Badawi
Other offices held
1st Chairman of the Homeland Fighter's Party
In office
12 August 2020 – 17 December 2022
PresidentMukhriz Mahathir
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition vacant
1st Chairman of Pakatan Harapan
In office
14 July 2017 – 24 February 2020
PresidentWan Azizah Wan Ismail
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAnwar Ibrahim
Chairman of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party
In office
7 September 2016 – 28 May 2020[note 2]
PresidentMuhyiddin Yassin
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byMuhyiddin 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 byHussein Onn
Succeeded byAbdullah Ahmad Badawi
Ministerial roles
1974–1978Minister of Education
1976–1981Deputy Prime Minister
1978–1981Minister of Trade and Industry
1981–1986Minister of Defence
1986–1999Minister of Home Affairs
1998–1999Minister of Finance
2001–2003Minister of Finance
2020Acting Minister of Education
Other roles
2003Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement
Personal details
Born
Mahathir bin Mohamad

(1925-07-10) 10 July 1925 (age 98)
Alor Setar, Kedah, Unfederated Malay States
NationalityMalaysian
Political party
  • PUTRA (since 2023)
  • UMNO (1946‍–‍1969, 1972‍–‍2008, 2009‍–‍2016)
  • BERSATU (2017‍–‍2020)
  • PEJUANG (2020‍–‍2023)
Other political
affiliations
  • PN (since 2023)
  • BN (1946‍–‍1969, 1972‍–‍2008, 2009‍–‍2016)
  • PH (2017‍–‍2020)
  • GTA (2022‍–‍2023)
  • Independent (1969‍–‍1972, 2008‍–‍2009, 2016, 2020, 2023)
Spouse
(m. 1956)
Children7, including Marina, Mokhzani and Mukhriz
RelativesIsmail Mohamed Ali (brother-in-law)
Residence(s)No. 58, Mines Resort City, Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia
EducationSultan Abdul Hamid College
Alma materKing Edward VII College of Medicine (MBBS)
Occupation
  • Author
  • doctor
  • politician
AwardsFull list
Signature
Websitethechedet.com

Mahathir bin Mohamad (Jawi: محاضير بن محمد;[1] IPA: [mahaðɪ(r) bɪn mohamad]; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the fourth and seventh prime minister of Malaysia. He held office from 1981 to 2003 and later from 2018 to 2020 for a cumulative total of 24 years, making him the country's longest-serving prime minister. 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 75 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.

Born and raised in Alor Setar, Kedah, Mahathir excelled at school and became a physician. He became active in the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) before entering the parliament of Malaysia in 1964. He served one term before losing his seat, subsequently falling out with Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and being expelled from UMNO. In 1970, he released the book The Malay Dilemma. When Abdul Rahman resigned, Mahathir re-entered UMNO and parliament, and was promoted to Minister of Education from 1974 to 1978 and Minister of Trade and Industry from 1978 to 1981. He became deputy prime minister in 1976 before being sworn in as prime minister in 1981, succeeding Hussein Onn.

During Mahathir's first tenure, Malaysia underwent modernisation and economic growth, and his government initiated widespread industry privatisation and a series of bold infrastructure projects. Mahathir was a dominant political figure, winning five consecutive general elections and fending off several rivals for UMNO's leadership. He centralised power through undermining judicial independence and supporting a constitutional amendment to remove legal immunity for royalty. He continued pro-bumiputera policies, and oversaw Malaysia's relatively fast recovery from the 1997 Asian financial crisis. 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, and was particularly prominent across the Muslim world.

Mahathir unexpectedly stepped down in 2003, but remained politically influential and was critical of his successors. 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. During his second tenure as prime minister, he pledged to investigate the 1MDB scandal, combat corruption, and cut spending on large infrastructure projects. He also secured the pardon and release of Anwar Ibrahim. Mahathir resigned in 2020 amidst a political crisis.[2][3] Despite losing his parliamentary seat in the 2022 general election, he remained active in politics and shifted party affiliation several times.

Mahathir's political views have shifted during his life, and are shaped by his Malay nationalism and Islamic religious beliefs.


Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Mahathir Mohamad: Malaysia needs more competitive investment policies". Malaysia National News Agency (Bernama) – Arabic (in Arabic). 20 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Malaysian machinations: How Southeast Asia's veteran leader lost the plot". Reuters. 6 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Malaysia's 94-year-old PM Tenders His Resignation". Voice of America. 24 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.

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