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Top 10 Sensational Facts about Mahatir Mohammad

Mahatir Bin Mohammad is the former prime minister of Malaysia and the longest-serving one in the country. He won the election at the age of 92 and this made him the oldest world leader. Therefore, having been reelected at such an old age means that he was doing something right for the people of Malaysia that they decided to allow him to continue serving them.

Therefore, this article will explore some sensational facts about the politician so that we can get to understand him more and the ideologies he employed that made him such a great leader. Furthermore, the article will provide additional information to the reader about the former prime minister that they may not have had.

1 His early life

The politician was born on July 10, 1925, in Alor Setar. Mahatir’s father was the first Indian-Malay headmaster of an English school and his mother came from the family of the Kedah royal courtiers.  This shows that he lived a comfortable life as his father was working and his mother came from an influential family. Mahatir revealed that his mother was influential in shaping the person that he grew up to become because she taught him how to do things and behave.

2 He is a doctor

The prime minister is a doctor who has gone to King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore to study medicine. This shows that he is a literate person who can understand the problems that the citizens are going through and therefore clearly articulate them and thus bring change. Another interesting fact is that his wife is also a doctor.

3 He entered politics in 1964

Mahathir became involved in Malaysia’s largest political party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), and was elected to its policy-making body, the Supreme Council. In 1964, he was elected to the House of Representatives with the support of the UMNO.

He wrote The Malay Dilemma, in which he advocated for affirmative action for Indigenous Malays and equal status with Chinese-Malaysians, while also criticizing Malays’ “economic backwardness.” These then-radical ideas enraged Prime Minister Abdul Rahman, who banned the book and expelled Mahathir from the UMNO.

4 He facilitated economic growth

Mahathir had a significant impact on Malaysia’s economy, culture, and government. He won five consecutive elections and served for 22 years, this was the longest tenure of any Malaysian prime minister. Malaysia experienced rapid economic growth during its tenure. He began privatizing government enterprises such as airlines, utilities, and telecommunications, raising funds for the government and improving working conditions for many employees, although many of the beneficiaries were UMNO supporters. Therefore, his impact on the country’s economy was felt as he ensured that there was economic stability.

5 He left a mixed legacy

While serving as a prime minister, he made great steps that were beneficial to the country. Despite these achievements, Mahathir leaves a mixed legacy. Despite beginning his first term conservatively, Mahathir became more authoritarian during the 1980s. He enacted the Internal Security Act in 1987, allowing him to close four newspapers and arrest 106 activists, religious leaders, and political opponents, including his former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim. He also changed the constitution to limit the Supreme Court’s interpretive power, and he forced a number of high-ranking members to resign.

6 He is among the first world leaders to have a blog

Dr Mahathir is not far behind in keeping up with the latest communications. He is credited with being one of the world’s first blogging executives. He started his blog in 2008 and still maintains it regularly.

As expected, much of his writing deals with local political issues, but he also talks about his own views on issues such as local culture and terrorism.

7 He had already retired when he vied for the post of a prime minister

It’s hard to believe, but Dr Mahathir officially retired on October 31, 2003. Afterwards, he became less involved in public affairs, but this did not prevent him from speaking out on local politics. This shows that he was committed to serving the country as one would expect someone that has already retired to be content with sitting at home and enjoying their late years. However, this is not the case for the former prime minister as he decided to immerse himself in the political scene and serve the people of Malaysia.

8 He was a hardworking student

From a young age, Dr Mahathir had little interest in sports. He spent most of his time studying and was very fluent in English, better than many of his peers. To this day the prime minister is equally committed to education, often advising the younger generation to acquire as much knowledge as possible. “To become a rich country, you have to work hard and have knowledge. If you study with enthusiasm, the knowledge will follow. I’m not asking for much. All you have to do is work hard,” he said earlier in a speech at UTM.

9 He held several positions in the government before becoming prime minister

Dr Mahathir Mohammad has had a long lustrous career in the political field and has held several influential positions before becoming prime minister. Some of the offices he held included, the minister of education, minister of trade and industry, minister of defence, minister of finance and the office of the deputy prime minister. This showed that he was well equipped with knowledge on how to run the operations of the country as a prime minister.

10 He always has a little black book

Dr Mahathir has previously revealed that he always carries a small notebook to remind himself of certain things. He said writing things down on paper and pen is a great way to remind yourself of the important things you have to do. Therefore it is a nice habit that the reader can emulate to ensure that they increase their productivity.