Mahathir Mohamad

Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and doctor who served as the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held office from 1981 to 2003 and later from 2018 to February 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 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 Modern (Bapa Pemodenan) for his pivotal role in transforming the country’s economy and infrastructure. At the age of 99, he is currently the oldest living former Malaysian prime minister.

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, serving for 22 years.

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. Under his leadership, Malaysia transformed from being an agricultural country to a modern, industrial nation. Mahathir was a dominating political figure, winning five consecutive general elections and fending off rivals for UMNO's leadership. He centralised power by 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.

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 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, 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. 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 throughout his life, and 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 has consistently maintained Islamic political views throughout his political career. He is revered in developing and Islamic nations for Malaysia's economic progress and support of liberal Muslim values. He also champions Malay nationalism, although he has evolved from supporting "''Ketuanan Melayu''" to advocating a "Bangsa Malaysia" that assimilates non-Malays into Malay culture, strictly rejecting multiculturalism. 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 control every aspects of life with the aim of establishing global hegemony. He has also been accused of antisemitism for his comments, which include stereotypes about Jews' financial skills and media control. 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. Provided by Wikipedia