Mahathir Mohamad

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In this Malay name, the name Mohamad is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person
should be referred to by the given name, Mahathir.

Yang Amat Berhormat Tun Dr.

Mahathir Mohamad

SMN DKI (Johor) DK (Kedah) DKNS DK

(Perlis) DUKSUMW DUNM DUPN SPDK SBS SPMJ DP SSDKSPNS SSAP SPCM SSMT PIS KGE

(Thailand)KmstkNO (Sweden) NPk (Pakistan) MP

‫محضير بن محمد‬

Mahathir in 2019

4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia

Incumbent

Assumed office
10 May 2018
Monarch Muhammad V
Abdullah

Deputy Wan Azizah

Preceded by Najib Razak

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

Chairman of Pakatan Harapan

Incumbent

Assumed office
14 July 2017

Leader Anwar Ibrahim

Preceded by Position established

Chairman of the PPBM

 Incumbent

Assumed office
7 September 2016

President Muhyiddin Yassin

Preceded by Position established

21st Secretary General of the

Non-Aligned Movement

In office
20 February 2003 – 31 October 2003

Preceded by Thabo Mbeki

Succeeded by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

4th Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia

In office
5 March 1976 – 16 July 1981

Monarch Yahya Petra

Ahmad Shah

Prime Minister Hussein Onn

Preceded by Hussein Onn

Succeeded by Musa Hitam

Minister of Finance

In office
5 June 2001 – 31 October 2003
Monarch Salahuddin
Sirajuddin

Preceded by Daim Zainuddin

Succeeded by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

In office
7 September 1998 – 7 January 1999

Monarch Ja'afar

Preceded by Anwar Ibrahim

Succeeded by Daim Zainuddin

Minister of Home Affairs

In office
8 May 1986 – 8 January 1999

Monarch Iskandar
Azlan Shah
Ja'afar

Preceded by Musa Hitam

Succeeded by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Minister of Defence

In office
18 July 1981 – 6 May 1986

Monarch Ahmad Shah

Iskandar

Preceded by Abdul Taib Mahmud

Succeeded by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Minister of Trade and Industry

In office
1 January 1978 – 16 July 1981

Monarch Yahya Petra

Ahmad Shah

Prime Minister Hussein Onn

Preceded by Hamzah Abu Samah

Succeeded by Ahmad Rithaudden Tengku Ismail

Minister of Education

In office
5 September 1974 – 31 December 1977

Monarch Abdul Halim

Yahya Petra

Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein

Hussein Onn

Preceded by Mohamed Yaacob

Succeeded by Musa Hitam

Member of the Malaysian Parliament

for Langkawi

Incumbent

Assumed office
10 May 2018
Preceded by Nawawi Ahmad

Majority 8,893 (2018)

Member of the Malaysian Parliament

for Kubang Pasu

In office
24 August 1974 – 21 March 2004

Preceded by Constituency established

Succeeded by Mohd Johari Baharum

Majority 10,138 (1999)

17,226 (1995)
22,062 (1990)
15,298 (1986)
15,761 (1982)
8,245 (1978)
Unopposed (1974)

Member of the Dewan Negara

for Kedah

In office
30 December 1972 – 23 August 1974

Member of the Malaysian Parliament

for Kota Setar Selatan

In office
25 April 1964 – 10 May 1969

Preceded by Wan Sulaiman Wan Tam

Succeeded by Yusof Rawa

Majority 4,210 (1964)

 Personal details

Born Mahathir bin Mohamad

10 July 1925 (age 93)

Alor Setar, Unfederated Malay States (now Malaysia)

Political party UMNO (1946–1969, 1972-2008, 2009-2016)

PPBM (2016–present)

Spouse(s) Tun Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali

Children 7 (including Marina, Mokhzaniand Mukhriz)

Relatives Ismail Mohd Ali (brother-in-law)

Alma mater King Edward VII College of Medicine

Awards Awards and recognitions

Signature

Website Official website

Mahathir Mohamad on Parliament of Malaysia

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Mahathir Mohamad
 Prime Minister of Malaysia

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 1988 constitutional crisis
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 Sultan Abdul Halim bridge collapse
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General Elections

 1982
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 Bersih 5 rally

Family

 Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali (wife)

 Marina Mahathir (daughter)
 Mokhzani Mahathir (son)
 Mukhriz Mahathir(son)

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Timeline of Mahathir Mohamad's life and career

Life and career of Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of

Malaysia (1981–2003, 2018–present)

 10 July 1925: Born in Alor Setar, the capital

of Kedah, British Malaya

 1930–1933: Begins his education at Seberang Perak Malay

Boys School

 December 1946: Completes Senior Cambridge exams and

graduates from secondary school

 1946–1952: Studies at King Edward VII College of

Medicine (which is now part of the National University of
 Singapore). There, he meets another medical student, Siti
Hasmah Mohamad Ali.

 1952: Begins work as a medical doctor

 1956: Marries Siti Hamsah

 1957: Begins his own practice in Alor Setar. Birth of Marina,

eldest child of Mahathir and Siti Hamsah. Six more children
follow: Mirzan, Melinda, Mokhzani, Mukhriz, Mazhar, and
Maizura.

 1946–1964: Gains prominence in United Malays National

Organisation (UMNO)

 1964: Elected to Parliament as representative for Kota Setar

Selatan, Alor Setar

 1969–1973: Leaves Parliament and UMNO's Supreme

Council in the 1969 election. During this time, he writes The
Malay Dilemma. Prime Minister Abdul Rahman resigns in
1970 and his successor, Abdul Razak Hussein, persuades
Mahathir to rejoin UMNO and Parliament.

 1973: Appointed as Senator for Kedah. Re-enters UMNO's

Supreme Council

 1974: Joins Razak's Cabinet as Minister of

Education. Elected as representative for Kubang Pasu, Kedah

 1975: Elected to one of three UMNO vice-presidencies,

along with Ghafar Baba and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

 1976: Razak dies and is succeeded by the Deputy Prime

Minister of Malaysia, Hussein Onn. Hussein appoints
Mahathir as deputy.

 1981: Hussein retires; Mahathir takes office as Prime

Minister on 16 July that year and appoints Musa Hitam as
Deputy Prime Minister.

 1982: Gains power over UMNO and the government with

the 1982 election

 1983: Mahathir has legislation passed to limit the power of

Malaysia's head of state, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong:
Parliament is enabled to override vetoes by the Agong.
Mahathir also begins to seek the privatisation of government
enterprises, and has the car company Protonestablished. He
also establishes the International Islamic University of
 Malaysiato attract religious voters.

 1986: 1986 Malaysian general election

 1987: Mahathir runs for the presidency of UMNO with

Ghafar Baba as his deputy, against the Cabinet member
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and his choice for deputy, former
Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam. The High
Courts declare UMNO to be illegal; Mahathir reregisters the
party as UMNO Baru, while Razaleigh registers the new
party Parti Melayu Semangat 46.

 1989: Suffers a heart attack

 1990: Barisan Nasional has a victory in the 1990 election.

 1991: Introduces the economic policy Wawasan 2020,

seeking to make Malaysia a developed country, and
the National Development Policy (NDP), which tried to cut
economic inequality among Malaysians

 1998: Mahathir dismisses Anwar Ibrahim, his Deputy Prime

Minister and Minister of Education, from the Cabinet on 2
September. Anwar is arrested on 20 September and stands on
trial for allegations of corruption and sodomy.

 2003: Retires as Prime Minister. He is succeeded

by Abdullah Badawi.

 2008: Leaves UMNO after the 2008 Malaysian general

election

 2009: Rejoins UMNO after Abdullah is succeeded by Deputy

Prime Minister Najib Razak

 2016: Founds the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) in

opposition to Najib, who is accused of corruption. PPBM is
registered on 9 September with Mahathir as chairman.

 2017: Joins the Pakatan Harapan (PH), the opposition to

UMNO. Becomes its chairman on 14 July.

 2018: Pakatan Harapan gains victory in the 2018 general

election and Mahathir is sworn in as Prime Minister on 10
May. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, wife of Anwar Ibrahim,
becomes Deputy Prime Minister.

Tun Mahathir bin Mohamad (Jawi: ‫ ;محضير بن محمد‬IPA: [maˈhaðɪr bɪn moˈhamad]; born 10 July
1925), known informally as Dr. M,[1] is a Malaysian politician and the Prime Minister of
Malaysia since 2018, having previously held the office from 1981 to 2003. He is the chairman of
the Pakatan Harapan coalition, as well as a member of the Parliament of Malaysia for
 the Langkawi constituency in the state of Kedah. Mahathir's political career has spanned more
than 70 years starting with his participation in protests against non-Malays gaining Malaysian
citizenship during the Malayan Union through to forming his own party, the Malaysian United
Indigenous Party (PPBM), in 2016.
Born and raised in Alor Setar, Kedah, Mahathir excelled at school and became a medical doctor.
He became active in United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) before entering Parliament in
1964. He served one term before losing his seat, subsequently falling out with Prime
Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and being expelled from UMNO. When Abdul Rahman resigned,
Mahathir re-entered UMNO and Parliament, and was promoted to the Cabinet. By 1977, he had
risen to deputy prime minister. In 1981, he was sworn in as prime minister after the resignation of
his predecessor, Hussein Onn.
During Mahathir's first tenure as prime minister, Malaysia experienced a period of rapid
modernization and economic growth, and his government initiated a series of bold infrastructure
projects. Mahathir was a dominant political figure, winning five consecutive general elections and
fending off a series of rivals for the leadership of UMNO. However, his accumulation of power
came at the expense of the independence of the judiciary and the traditional powers and
privileges of Malaysia's royalty. He deployed the controversial Internal Security Act to detain
activists, non-mainstream religious figures, and political opponents, including the deputy prime
minister whom he fired in 1998, Anwar Ibrahim. Mahathir's record of curbing civil liberties and his
antagonism towards western interests and economic policy made his relationships with western
nations difficult. As prime minister, he was an advocate of third-world development and a
prominent international activist.
After leaving office, Mahathir became a strident critic of his hand-picked successor Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi in 2006 and later, Najib Razak in 2015. On 29 February 2016, Mahathir quit
UMNO in light of its support for the actions of Prime Minister Najib Razak, in spite of
the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal. On 9 September 2016, the Malaysian United
Indigenous Party was officially registered as a political party, with Mahathir as chairman. On 8
January 2018, Mahathir was announced as the Pakatan Harapan coalition candidate for prime
minister for the 2018 general election, in a plan to pardon Anwar Ibrahim and hand a role to him
if the campaign was successful. Following a decisive victory for Pakatan Harapan in the 2018
election, Mahathir was sworn in as prime minister on 10 May 2018. At 93, he is the oldest sitting
state leader. He is the first prime minister not to represent the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition (or
its predecessor, the Alliance Party) and also the first to serve from two different parties and on
non-consecutive terms.

Contents

 1Early life and family

 2Early political career
o 2.1Minister of Education
 3First term as prime minister
o 3.1Domestic affairs
 3.1.1Early years (1981–1987)
 3.1.2Exerting power (1987–1990)
 3.1.3Economic development to financial crisis (1990–1998)
 3.1.4The final years and succession (1998–2003)
o 3.2Foreign relations
 3.2.1United States
 3.2.2Australia
 3.2.3Singapore
 3.2.4Bosnia-Herzegovina
 3.2.5Developing world
 4Retirement (2003–2018)
 5Return to politics
o 5.1Controversial speech on Bugis people
o 5.22018 candidacy
 6Second term as prime minister
o 6.1North Korea
o 6.2Killing of Jamal Khashoggi
o 6.32019 World Para Swimming Championships controversy
 7Awards and recognitions
o 7.1Honors of Malaysia
o 7.2Foreign honors
o 7.3Others
 8Election results
 9Books
 10References
o 10.1Notes
o 10.2Citations
o 10.3Cited texts
 11External links

Early life and family[edit]

Mahathir was born on 10 July 1925[2] at No. 18, Lorong Kilang Ais, Seberang Perak,[3] Alor Setar,
the capital of the state of Kedah, British Malaya[4] as the youngest of nine siblings and was
nicknamed Cek Det.[3] Mahathir's birth certificate gives his date of birth as 20 December. He was
actually born on 10 July; his biographer Barry Wain explains that 20 December was an "arbitrary"
date. Mahathir's grandfather, Iskandar, was married to Siti Hawa from Johor in 1881 in Penang.
His grandfather was brought to Malaya by the British East India Company to teach English in the
Kedah royal palace.[5] Mahathir's father Mohamad bin Iskander was an Indian from Penang with a
Malay mother and ancestors from the southern Indian state of Kerala; he was the first Malay
headmaster of an English school (now Maktab Sultan Abdul Hamid) in Alor Setar.[6] Mahathir's
mother Wan Tempawan binti Wan Hanafi was from Kedah, of Malay descent, and came from a
long line of Kedah royal household courtiers.[7][8][9] One aspect of Mahathir's birth set him apart: he
was not born into the aristocracy or a prominent religious or political family.[10][N 1] Mahathir's father
was a school principal whose low socio-economic status meant his daughters were unable to
enroll in secondary school, while Wan Tempawan had only a distant relationship to Kedah's
royalty. Both parents had been married previously; Mahathir had six half-siblings and two full-
siblings.[11]
Mahathir was a hard-working student. Discipline imposed by his father motivated him to study,
and he showed little interest in sports. He started out his primary education at the Seberang
Perak Malay Boys School in 1930 and studied there for two years. However, in 1933,[3] he won a
position in a selective English medium secondary school, having become fluent in English well
ahead of his primary school peers.[13] With schools closed during the Japanese occupation of
Malaya during World War II, he went into business, first selling coffee and later pisang
goreng (fried banana) and other snacks.[4] After the war, he graduated from secondary school by
completing Senior Cambridge exams in December 1946[3] and enrolled to study medicine at
the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore (now part of National University of
Singapore).[14] There he met his future wife, Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, a fellow medical student.
After he graduated, Mahathir worked as a doctor in government service before marrying in 1956.
He returned to Alor Setar the following year to set up his own practice. The success of his
practice, as the only Malay doctor in the town, allowed him to build a large house, invest in
various businesses and, pointedly, employ a chauffeur to drive his Pontiac Catalina.[15][16]He and
Siti Hasmah had their first child, Marina, in 1957, before conceiving three others and adopting
three more over the following 28 years.[17] Other than Marina, the other six children are Mirzan,
Melinda, Mokhzani, Mukhriz, Mazhar, and Maizura.[18]
Early political career[edit]
Mahathir had been politically active since the end of the Japanese occupation of Malaya, when
he joined protests against the granting of citizenship to non-Malays under the short-
lived Malayan Union.[19] 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.[15] While practising as a doctor 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.[20] 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 criticized Abdul Rahman's agreement to the retention of British
and Commonwealth forces in Malaya after independence. Now 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.[21]
Elected to parliament in a volatile political period, Mahathir, as a government backbencher,
launched himself into the main conflict of the day: the future of Singapore, 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.[21][22] 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).[23] 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).[24]
Large government losses in the election were followed by the race riots of 13 May 1969, in which
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
criticized the government, sending a letter to Abdul Rahman in which the prime minister was
criticized for failing to uphold Malay interests. The letter, which soon became public, called for
Abdul Rahman's resignation.[25] By the end of the year, Mahathir had been fired from UMNO's
Supreme Council and expelled from the party; Abdul Rahman had to be persuaded not to have
him arrested.[23][24]
While in the political wilderness, Mahathir wrote his first book, The Malay Dilemma, in which 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".[26] The book continued Mahathir's
criticism of 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.[23][27] Academics R. S. Milne and Diane K.
Mauzy argue that Mahathir's relentless attacks were the principal cause of Abdul Rahman's
downfall and subsequent resignation as prime minister in 1970.[28]
Minister of Education[edit]
Abdul Rahman resigned in 1970 and was replaced by Abdul Razak Hussein. Razak encouraged
Mahathir back into the party, and had him appointed as a Senator in 1973.[29] 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.[23] 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.[30] 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.[31]
In 1975, Mahathir ran for one of the three vice-presidencies of UMNO. The contest was
considered to be a battle for the succession of the party's leadership, with both Razak and his
deputy, Hussein Onn, in declining 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. Each of
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.
But Hussein's decision was not easy. Hussein and Mahathir were not close allies, and Hussein
knew the choice of Mahathir 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.[32][33]
However, Mahathir was not an influential deputy prime minister. Hussein was a cautious leader
who rejected many of Mahathir's bold policy proposals. While the relationship between Hussein
and Mahathir 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.[34]

First term as prime minister[edit]

Mahathir Cabinets (First Term)

(I • II • III • IV • V • VI)

Mahathir in 1984

Domestic affairs[edit]
Mahathir was sworn in as prime minister on 16 July 1981, at the age of 56.[35] 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.[36] He appointed his close ally, Musa Hitam, as
deputy prime minister.[37]
Early years (1981–1987)[edit]
Mahathir exercised caution in his first two years in power, consolidating his leadership of UMNO
and, with victory in the 1982 general election, the government.[38][39] 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 in to 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.[40][41] 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 realized 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.[42][43] 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, although 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, but if he refused to assent to a bill, the bill would be returned to
Parliament, which could then override the Agong's veto.[44]

The 2012 Proton Prevé Sapphireconcept. Mahathir considered that an automotive industry was essential to
Malaysia becoming an industrial nation. His government used tariffs to support the development of
the Protonas a Malaysian-made car and to limit the capital outflow of Malaysian Ringgitto 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.[45] 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.[46] His government privatized airlines, utilities and telecommunication firms,
accelerating to a rate of about 50 privatisations a year by the mid-1990s.[47] While privatisation
generally improved the working conditions of Malaysians in privatized 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.[48] 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 car maker in Southeast Asia and a profitable enterprise.[49]
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.[50] Mahathir
comprehensively defeated PAS at the polls in 1986, winning 83 seats of the 84 seats it
contested, leaving PAS with just one MP.[51]
Exerting power (1987–1990)[edit]
Any illusion that the 1986 election may have created about Mahathir's political dominance was
short-lived. In 1987, he was challenged for the presidency of UMNO, 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, with Musa claiming 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 support of the press, most party heavyweights, and
even Iskandar, now the Agong, although 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 a 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, while 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.[52][53]
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 the leadership of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
and with the support of both of Malaysia's surviving former prime ministers, Abdul Rahman and
Hussein, registered the party Semangat 46 instead.[54] 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.[55]
At the same time as the political and judicial crises, Mahathir initiated a crackdown on opposition
dissidents with the use of the Internal Security Act. The appointment of a number of
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 leader of the DAP, Lim Kit Siang, and nine of his
fellow MPs. Three newspapers sympathetic to the opposition were shut down.[56] Mahathir
suffered a heart attack in early 1989,[57] 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 (Musa had since rejoined UMNO).[58]
Economic development to financial crisis (1990–1998)[edit]

A view of Petronas Twin Towers and the surrounding central business district in Kuala Lumpur, a testament
of the Malaysian phenomenal economic evolution under Mahathir's 22-year rule

The expiry of the Malaysian New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1990 gave Mahathir the opportunity
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.[59] The target would
require average economic growth of approximately seven per cent of gross domestic product per
annum.[60] 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.[61] 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.[62] Mahathir's government cut corporate taxes and liberalized financial regulations
to attract foreign investment. The economy grew by over nine per cent per annum until 1997
prompting other developing countries to try to emulate Mahathir's policies.[63] Much of the credit
for Malaysia's economic development in the 1990s went to Anwar Ibrahim, appointed by
Mahathir as finance minister in 1991.[64] The government rode the economic wave and won
the 1995 election with an increased majority.[65]
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.[66]
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 and 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, and he
could now claim to have rescued the economy in spite of Anwar's policies.[67]
In his second decade in office, Mahathir had again found himself battling Malaysia's royalty. In
1992, Sultan Iskandar's son, a representative 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 his decision was criticized by a local coach, 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".[68]
The final years and succession (1998–2003)[edit]

Mahathir addressing the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2003

By the mid-1990s it had become clear that the most serious threat to Mahathir's power was the
leadership ambition of his deputy, Anwar. 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.[69] However,
Mahathir continued to back Anwar as his successor until their relationship collapsed dramatically
during the Asian financial crisis. Their positions gradually diverged, with Mahathir abandoning the
tight monetary and fiscal policies urged by the IMF. At the UMNO General Assembly in 1998, a
leading Anwar supporter, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, criticized 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, although the media speculated that it related to lurid
allegations of sexual misconduct circulated in a "poison pen letter" at the general assembly.[70] 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.[71]
Anwar stood trial on four charges of corruption, arising from allegations that Anwar abused his
power by ordering police to intimidate persons who had alleged Anwar had sodomized them.
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. In another trial shortly after,
Anwar was sentenced to another nine years in prison on a conviction for sodomy. The sodomy
conviction was overturned on appeal after Mahathir left office.[72]
While Mahathir had vanquished his rival, it came at a cost to his standing in the 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".[73] 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".[74]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.[75] 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.[76]
In September 2001 debate was caused by Mahathir's announcement that Malaysia was already
an Islamic state.[77] 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.[78] 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."[79]His speech was
denounced by President George W. Bush.[80] Having spent over 22 years in office, Mahathir was
the world's longest-serving elected leader when he retired.[81]
Foreign relations[edit]

Mahathir with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2003

During Mahathir's term, Malaysia's relationship with the West was generally fine despite his
being known as an outspoken critic towards it.[82] 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".[83] Although the dispute was later resolved by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher,
Mahathir continued to emphasize Asian development modelsover contemporary Western ones.
He particularly criticized the double standards of Western nations.[84]
United States[edit]
Main article: Malaysia–United States relations
Mahathir has been publicly critical of the Foreign Policy of the United States from time to time,
particularly during the George W. Bush presidency.[85] and yet relations between the two
countries were still positive and the United States was the biggest source of foreign investment,
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.[86] Gore stated that:
Mahathir greeting US Secretary of Defense William Cohen in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 during Pacific Dialogue
Conference

Democracy confers a stamp of legitimacy that reforms must have in order to be effective. And so,
among nations suffering economic crises, we continue to hear calls for democracy, calls for
reform, in many languages – People Power, doi moi, reformasi. We hear them today – right here,
right now – among the brave people of Malaysia.[87]

Gore and the United States were critical of the trial of Mahathir's former deputy Anwar Ibrahim,
going so far as to label it as a "show trial". US News and World Report called the trial a "tawdry
spectacle."[88] 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."[89]
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[90] and paid a visit to Anwar's wife following his firing
and subsequent imprisonment.[91]
The United States government has previously criticized the Malaysian government for
implementing the ISA, and Mahathir has not hesitated to point to the United States for
justification of 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."[92] 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 Afghanistanand 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."[93] 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) summarizes 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."[94]
Australia[edit]
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, has been 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. It is thought that Keating's description was a
linguistic gaffe, and that what he had in mind was "intransigent".[95]
Singapore[edit]
Mahathir is an alumnus of the National University of Singapore. He studied at the university's
King Edward VII College of Medicine between 1947 and 1953. When he and his wife were
granted honorary degrees by the university in November 2018, he said that "I will always value
my stay in Singapore for nearly six years." Singapore's long-time prime minister Lee Kuan Yew
was also a student at the National University of Singapore.[96] However, relations with Singapore
under Mahathir's tenure were stormy. Many disputed issues raised during his administration
have not been resolved.[97] Issues have included:

 disputes about the Malaysia–Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990;[97]

 disputes over water prices;[97]
 the proposed replacement of the bridge Causeway bridge;[97]
 the dispute over the island Pedra Branca.[97]
On Lee Kuan Yew's death in March 2015, Mahathir wrote a blog chedet.cc entitled "Kuan Yew
and I". He expressed his sorrow and grief at the loss of Lee. He said that he often disagreed with
the veteran Singaporean leader but bore him no enmity for the differences of opinion on what
was good for the newborn nation to thrive. He wrote that with Lee's death, ASEAN had lost the
strong leadership of both Lee as well as President Suharto of Indonesia who had died earlier in
2008.[98] Many political analysts believe that with Lee's death, Mahathir is the last of the "Old
Guard" of Southeast Asia.[99]
In April 2016, the 1st Anniversary of Lee Kuan Yew's death. Mahathir told the media that
Singaporeans must value Lee Kuan Yew's contributions because he industrialized Singapore. He
said: "That is one achievement that we need to recognise." With Lee, Mahathir "had no
problems." He said that he does not view Lee "as an enemy and all that, but as a Singapore
leader who had his own stand that was not the same with the stand of Malaysia."[100]
Bosnia-Herzegovina[edit]
In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mahathir has been noted as a particular significant ally of that nation. He
was influential in the establishment of an OIC summit in Karachi in 1993 to discuss the need of
weapons for Bosnia during the Bosnian War. Mahathir also opened the bridge of the Malaysian-
Bosnian and Herzegovinian friendship in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.[101] 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.[102]
Developing world[edit]
Among developing and Islamic countries, Mahathir is generally respected.[82] This is particularly
due to Malaysia's relatively high economic growth as well as Mahathir's support towards liberal
Muslim values.[103] Malaysia has good relations with Indonesia,[104] and has maintained strong
relations with Kazakhstan.[105]

Retirement (2003–2018)[edit]
Portrait of Mahathir and Siti Hamsah

Mahathir at National Daycelebrations in August 2007

On his retirement, Mahathir was named a Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the
Realm, allowing him to adopt the title of "Tun".[106] He pledged to leave politics "completely",
rejecting an emeritus role in Abdullah's cabinet.[107] Abdullah immediately made his mark as a
quieter and less adversarial premier. With much stronger religious credentials than Mahathir, he
was able to 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.[108]
Mahathir was the CEO and Chairman, and hence a senior adviser, to many flagship Malaysian
companies such as Proton, Perdana Leadership Foundation and Malaysia's government-owned
oil and gas company Petronas.[109] Mahathir and Abdullah had a major fallout over Proton in
2005. 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 prize assets, the motorcycle company MV
Agusta, which was bought on Mahathir's advice.[110] Mahathir also criticized the awarding of
import permits for foreign cars, which he claimed were causing Proton's domestic sales to
suffer,[111] and attacked Abdullah for cancelling the construction of a second causeway between
Malaysia and Singapore.[112]Mahathir complained that his views were not getting sufficient airing
by the Malaysian press, the freedom of which he had curtailed while prime minister: he had been
named one of the "Ten Worst Enemies of the Press" by the Committee to Protect Journalists for
his restrictions on newspapers and occasional imprisonment of journalists.[113] He turned to the
blogosphere in response, writing a column for Malaysiakini, an online media news website, and
starting his own blog.[114] 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 revolt against
Abdullah's leadership of the party.[115] After the 2008 election, in which UMNO lost its two-thirds
majority in Parliament, Mahathir resigned from the party. Abdullah was replaced by his deputy,
Najib Razak, in 2009, a move that prompted Mahathir to rejoin the party.[116]
Mahathir continued to attract controversy in retirement for remarks on international affairs. He is
a strident critic of Israel and has been accused of being antisemitic.[117]In his 1970 book The
Malay Dilemma, Mahathir wrote "The Jews are not merely hook-nosed, but understand money
instinctively," sentiments he reiterated in a 2018 BBC interview in which he also disputed the
number of Jews killed in The Holocaust. [118] In a 2012 blog post, he echoed past claims by
writing that "Jews rule this world by proxy."[119] Also in 2012 he stated: "I am glad to be labeled
antisemitic [...] How can I be otherwise, when the Jews who so often talk of the horrors they
suffered during the Holocaust show the same Nazi cruelty and hard-heartedness towards not just
their enemies but even towards their allies should any try to stop the senseless killing of their
Palestinian enemies."[120] Mahathir established the Kuala Lumpur Initiative to Criminalise War
Forum in an effort to end war globally,[121] 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.[122] He has also suggested that the September 11 attacks of 2001
might have been staged by the United States government.[123]
Mahathir underwent a heart bypass operation in 2007, following two heart attacks over the
previous two years. He had undergone the same operation after his heart attack in 1989. After
the 2007 operation, he suffered a chest infection. He was hospitalized for treatment of another
chest infection in 2010.[115][124]

Return to politics[edit]
Mahathir repeatedly called for Prime Minister Najib Razak to resign.[125] On 30 August 2015, he
and his wife, Siti Hasmah, attended the Bersih 4 rally, which saw tens of thousands
demonstrating for Najib's resignation.[126] In 2016, Mahathir ignited several protests that
culminated in the Malaysian Citizens' Declaration by himself with the help of Pakatan
Harapan and NGOs to oust Najib.[127][128] Najib's response to the corruption accusations has been
to tighten his grip on power by replacing the deputy prime minister, suspending two newspapers
and pushing through parliament a controversial National Security Council Bill that provides the
prime minister with unprecedented powers.[129][130] In June 2016, Mahathir also actively
campaigned for AMANAH candidates from Pakatan Harapan for the 2016 Sungai Besar by-
election and the 2016 Kuala Kangsar by-election.
Mahathir left UMNO in 2016, forming the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM).[131][132] The new
party was officially registered on 9 September 2016, and Mahathir became its chairman.[133] By
2017, he had officially joined the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan. He was proposed as a
possible chairman and prime ministerial candidate of Pakatan Harapan.[134] He assumed the
position of chairman on 14 July 2017.[135]
Controversial speech on Bugis people[edit]
On 14 October 2017, referencing the 1MDB scandal, Mahathir said of Najib; "a prime minister
who came from 'Bugis pirates' is now leading Malaysia". He remarked "go back to Sulawesi",
which aroused discontent from the Bugis descendants in Malaysia and Indonesia who protested
against him.[136] It also disappointed the Sultan of Johor and the Sultan of Selangor, who are both
of Bugis descent.[137] On 8 February 2018, Mahathir's Darjah Kerabat Al-Yunusi (DK Kelantan)
was revoked by the Kelantan royal house, alongside two of his Pakatan Harapan colleagues,
with no reason given.[138]
2018 candidacy[edit]
On 8 January 2018, Mahathir was announced as the Pakatan Harapan opposition alliance's
prime ministerial candidate for the election to be held on 9 May 2018, seeking to oust his former
ally Najib. Wan Azizah, wife of his former political enemy Anwar, ran as his deputy.[139] According
to the election results disclosed on 10 May 2018, Pakatan Harapan had claimed victory, thus
successfully propelling him to the prime ministerial seat once again.[140] He would then seek a
pardon for Anwar, in order to allow him to take over the leadership.[141][142]

Second term as prime minister[edit]

Mahathir Cabinet (Second Term)

(VII)

Mahathir in 2018

Mahathir meets with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2018

Following the historic victory of the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan, Najib was successfully
ousted from the incumbent prime ministerial seat. Mahathir hoped to be sworn in as the new
prime minister by 5 pm.[143]
Concerns for a smooth power transition emerged as Najib, although admitting the defeat of his
party and coalition during a press conference on 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, who was believed to be under Najib's heavy influence during his power), thus leaving
the appointment of the office to the hands of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.[144] Nevertheless,
the National Palace of Malaysia had promptly issued a royal statement, confirming Mahathir
Mohamad will be sworn in as the Prime Minister of Malaysia at 9.30 pm, on the same day (10
May 2018), and had strongly refuted any claims of delaying the appointment.[145] At 10 pm,
Mahathir was officially sworn in as the Prime Minister of Malaysia.[146]
Mahathir is now the oldest currently serving state leader in the world (aged 93 years,
305 days).[147] As proposed in the original plan of Pakatan Harapan, Wan Azizah ran as his
deputy, and therefore became the first female deputy prime minister of Malaysia.[148] Following his
appointment as prime minister, Mahathir promised to "restore the rule of law", and would make
elaborate and transparent investigations on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal possibly
perpetrated by the ex-prime minister, as Mahathir told the press that if Najib has done something
wrong, he would face the consequences.[149]
North Korea[edit]
Mahathir welcomed the 2018 North Korea–United States summit. 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".[150] In a joint press conference in Tokyo with Japan, Mahathir
said: "We hoped for a successful outcome from the historic meeting",[151] adding that "Malaysia
will re-open their embassy in North Korea as an end to the diplomatic row over the assassination
of Kim Jong-namlast year".[152]
Killing of Jamal Khashoggi[edit]
Main article: Killing of Jamal Khashoggi
Mahathir has stated that the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was unacceptable.
Malaysia, he said, does not support the killing of government critics. "This is extreme cruelty, and
it is not acceptable. We too have people that we do not like, but we don't kill them."[153]
2019 World Para Swimming Championships controversy[edit]
In 2017, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) granted hosting rights of the 2019 World
Para Swimming Championships to Malaysia, who fought off competition from Great
Britain.[154] This was done with the understanding that they would permit all qualified athletes to
compete. In 2019, as part of a solidarity move with the Palestinian National Authority, Malaysia
announced that they would ban Israeli athletes from being able to enter the event in a move that
was supported by 29 Malaysian non-governmental organizations.[155] The Malaysian Paralympic
Council claimed they were following government's policy to bar Israelis from competition as
Malaysia bans Israeli passport holders from entering the country.[156] Mahathir said that Israel is
"a country which does not obey international laws" and that the world always follows what Israel
says.[157]

Awards and recognitions[edit]

Honors of Malaysia[edit]

Yang-di Pertuan Besar Ja’afar of Negeri Sembilan, the Chancellor of the National University of
Malaysia(Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysi), presents Mahathir with a Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy.

 Malaysia :
o Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (SMN) -
Tun (2003)[158]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Management and Engineering from University of
Technology, Malaysia (2003)[159]
o Honorary Doctor of Letters from International Islamic University Malaysia (2004)[159]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Thoughts from University of Malaya (2004)[159]
 o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering and Technology from PETRONAS
University of Technology (2004)[159]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Government and Political Science from MARA
University of Technology (2004)[159]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Law from National University of Malaysia (2004)[159]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Knowledge Science from Multimedia
University (2004)[159]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management from Asia School of
Business (2019)[160]
 Federal Territory (Malaysia) :
o Grand Knight of the Order of the Territorial Crown (SUMW) - Datuk Seri
Utama (2008)[158]
 Johor :
o Gold Medal of the Sultan Ibrahim Medal (PIS) (1985)[159]
o Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor (SPMJ) -
Dato' (1979)[158]
o Grand Commander of the Royal Family Order of Johor (DKI) (1989)[158]
 Kedah :
o Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Loyalty to the Royal House of
Kedah (SSDK) - Dato' Seri (1977)[158]
o Kedah Supreme Order of Merit (DUK) (1988)[158]
o Member of the Royal Family Order of Kedah (DK) (2003)[158]
 Kelantan :
o Royal Family Order of Kelantan (DK) (2002,[158] revoked 2018[161])
 Malacca :
o Grand Commander of the Order of Malacca (DGSM) - Datuk Seri[158]
o Knight Grand Commander of the Order of Malacca (DUNM) - Datuk Seri
Utama[158]
 Negeri Sembilan :
o Principal Grand Knight of the Order of Loyalty to Negeri Sembilan (SPNS) -
Dato' Seri Utama (1981)[158]
o Royal Family Order of Negeri Sembilan (DKNS) (1982)[159]
 Pahang :
o Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) - Dato'
Sri (1977)[158]
 Penang :
o Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (DUPN) - Dato'
Seri Utama (1981)[158]
 Perak :
o Grand Knight of the Order of Cura Si Manja Kini (SPCM) - Dato' Seri (1981)[158]
 Perlis :
o Member of the Perlis Family Order of the Gallant Prince Syed Putra
Jamalullail (DK) (1995)[158]
 Sabah :
o Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) - Datuk Seri
Panglima (1981)[158]
 Sarawak :
o Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DP) - Datuk
Patinggi (1980)[158]
o Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of Sarawak (SBS) - Pehin
Sri (2003)[158]
 Selangor :
 o Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (SPMS) -
Dato' Seri (1978,[159] returned 2017[162])
o Royal Family Order of Selangor First Class (DK) (2003,[159] returned 2017[162])
 Terengganu :
o Member Grand Companion of the Order of Sultan Mahmud I of
Terengganu (SSMT) - Dato' Seri (1982)[158]
Foreign honors[edit]

Mahathir with Vladimir Putin and then Yang-di Pertuan Agong Syed Sirajuddin in 2003. The day this
photograph was taken Putin bestowed the Order of Friendship upon Mahathir.

 Albania :
o Honorary citizenship of Tirana (1993)[159]
 Argentina :
o Order of the Liberator General San Martín (1991)[159]
 Bosnia and Herzegovina :
o Order of the Dragon of Bosnia (1996)[159]
 Brunei :
o Royal Family Order of Brunei 1st Class (DK (Laila Utama)) (1997)[159]
 Chile :
o Order of Merit (1991)[159]
 China :
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Tsinghua University (2004)[159]
 Cuba :
o Order of José Martí (1997)[159]
 Djibouti :
o Commander of the Order of the Great Star of Djibouti (1998)[159]
 Egypt :
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Literature from Al-Azhar University (1998)[159]
 Japan :
o Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1991)[159]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Meiji University (2001)[159]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Laws from Keio University (2004)[163]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (2018)[164]
o Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers (2018)[165]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Tsukuba University (2018)[166]
 Kuwait :
o Collar of the Order of Mubarak the Great (1997)[159]
 Lebanon :
o Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit (1997)[159]
 Mali :
o Grand Cross of the National Order of Mali (1984)[159]
 Mexico :
o Grand Cross of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (1991)[159]
 Mongolia :
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Humanities from National University of Mongolia[159]
 Pakistan :
o Order of Great Leader (1984)[159]
o Order of Pakistan (NPk) (2019)[167]
 Poland :
o Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2002)[159]
 Russia :
o Order of Friendship (2003)[168]
 Saudi Arabia :
o King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam (1997)[159]
 Singapore :
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Laws from National University of Singapore (2018)[96]
 South Korea :
o Grand Gwanghwa Medal of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit (1983)[159]
 Sweden :
o Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star (KmstkNO) (1996)[159]
 Thailand :
o Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Order of the White Elephant (KGE)
(1981)[159]
o Honorary Doctor of Philosophy for leadership in social leadership, business and politics
from Rangsit University (2018)[169]
 United Nations :
o U Thant Peace Award (1999)[159]
 Venezuela :
o Order of the Liberator (1990)[159]
Others[edit]

 Time magazine named Mahathir as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in
2019.[170]
 Guinness World Records recognition - At the age of 92 years 141 days, he is now the Oldest
current Prime Minister (2018) having been born on 20 December 1925. [171]

Election results[edit]
Parliament of Malaysia

Ballo
Yea Constit Vote Opponent(s Vote Majo Turn
Pct Pct ts
r uency s ) s rity out
cast

Mohd.
Kota Mahathir Sha'ari
196 Star 12,40 60.2 8,19 39.8 21,44 4,210 82.8
Mohamad(U Abd. [172]
4[172] Selatan[ 6[172] %[172] 6[172] %[172] 0[172] %[172]
172] MNO)[172] Shukor
(PAS)[172]
 Mahathir Yusof
196 12,03 48.03 13,0 51.97 25,67 78.6
Mohamad Rawa (P 989
9 2 % 21 % 9 %
(UMNO) AS)

Mahathir
197
Mohamad(U None None Unopposed
4
MNO)

Mahathir Halim
197 18,19 64.64 9,95 35.36 Unkn 78.36
Mohamad(U Arshat 8,245
8 8 % 3 % own %
MNO) (PAS)

Mahathir Yusof
198 24,52 73.67 8,76 26.33 34,34 15,76 78.79
Mohamad(U Rawa (PA
2 4 % 3 % 0 1 %
MNO) S)

Mahathir Azizan
198 25,45 71.48 10,1 28.52 36,40 15,29 74.21
Mohamad(U Ismail
6 Kuban 2 % 54 % 9 8 %
MNO) (PAS)
g Pasu

Mahathir Sudin
199 30,68 78.07 8,61 21.93 40,57 22,06 77.51
Mohamad(U Wahab
0 1 % 9 % 0 2 %
MNO) (S46)

Ahmad
Mahathir
199 24,49 77.12 Mohd 7,26 22.88 33,01 17,22 73.61
Mohamad(U
5 5 % Alim 9 % 0 6 %
MNO)
(PAS)

Ahmad
Mahathir
199 22,39 63.22 Subki 12,2 34.61 36,10 10,13 78.62
Mohamad(U
9 9 % Abd. Latif 61 % 6 8 %
MNO)
(PAS)

Nawawi
10,0 29.14
Ahmad (
61 %
Mahathir UMNO)
201 Langka 18,95 54.90 34,52 80.87
Mohamad 8,893
8 wi 4 % 7 %
(PPBM) Zubir
5,51 15.96
Ahmad
2 %
(PAS)

Books[edit]
 The Malay Dilemma (1970) ISBN 981-204-355-1
 The Challenge,(1986) ISBN 967-978-091-0
 Regionalism, Globalism, and Spheres of Influence: ASEAN and the Challenge of Change
into the 21st century (1989) ISBN 981-3035-49-8
 The Pacific Rim in the 21st century,(1995)
 The Challenges of Turmoil, (1998) ISBN 967-978-652-8
 The Way Forward, (1998) ISBN 0-297-84229-3
 A New Deal for Asia, (1999)
 Islam & The Muslim Ummah, (2001) ISBN 967-978-738-9
 Globalisation and the New Realities (2002)
 Reflections on Asia, (2002) ISBN 967-978-813-X
 The Malaysian Currency Crisis: How and why it Happened,(2003) ISBN 967-978-756-7
 Achieving True Globalization, (2004) ISBN 967-978-904-7
 Islam, Knowledge, and Other Affairs, (2006) ISBN 983-3698-03-4
 Principles of Public Administration: An Introduction, (2007) ISBN 978-983-195-253-5
 Chedet.com Blog Merentasi Halangan (Bilingual), (2008) ISBN 967-969-589-1
 A Doctor in the House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, 8 March
2011 ISBN 9789675997228.
 Doktor Umum: Memoir Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, 30 April 2012 ISBN 9789674150259.
This book was the BM version of his best-selling memoir,"A Doctor in the house".

References[edit]
Notes[edit]

1. ^ Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Hussein Onn were members of the royalty or
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grandfather were prominent religious figures.[12]
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Cited texts[edit]

 Malaysia portal

 Biography portal

 Politics portal
 Dhillon, Karminder Singh (2009). Malaysian Foreign Policy in the Mahathir Era 1981–2003:
Dilemmas of Development. NUS Press. ISBN 9971-69-399-2.
 Milne, R. S.; Mauzy, Diane K. (1999). Malaysian Politics under Mahathir. Routledge. ISBN 0-
415-17143-1.
 Morais, J. Victor (1982). Mahathir: A Profile in Courage. Eastern Universities
Press. OCLC 8687329.
 Rashid, Faridah Abdul (2012). Research on the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya and
Singapore. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 1-469-17245-3.[self-published source]
 Sankaran, Ramanathan; Mohd Hamdan Adnan (1988). Malaysia's 1986 General Election:
the Urban-Rural Dichotomy. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 981-3035-12-9.
 Stewart, Ian (2003). The Mahathir Legacy: a Nation Divided, a Region at Risk. Allen &
Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-977-X.
 Wain, Barry (2010). Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times. Palgrave
Macmillan. ISBN 0-230-23873-4.
 James Chin & Joern Dosch. Malaysia Post Mahathir: a decade of change?. Marshall
Cavendish. 2016. ISBN 9814677558

External links[edit]
Media related to Mahathir Mohamad at Wikimedia Commons Quotations related
to Mahathir Mohamad at Wikiquote

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