MAHATHIR MOHAMAD : Life Story : 26

Biography

Mahathir Mohamad is the longest ruling Prime Minister of Malaysia and a politician known for his progressive policies. He improved the economy and was a champion of developing nations.

Mahathir Mohamad is known as one of the most successful prime ministers in Malaysia's history. It was clear by Mahathir’s performance in school that he was destined to do great things. When he was 16 the school shut down during the Japanese occupation of World War II. He took to the streets selling coffee and banana fritters to stay out of trouble. During his 22 year tenure he fought hard for equal opportunities for the Malay people. He formulated policies that helped businesses flourish and made education easily available to the people of the country. While his polices have earned him a lot of criticism over his career, Mahathir never wavered from his convictions. This healthy stubbornness made him an effective politician. The first example of this resolve came when he was exiled from politics for criticizing the current regime. Instead of cowering he wrote ‘The Malay Dilemma’, which continued the critique. This book played a huge role in Prime Minister Rahman's resignation. During his tenure he showed resolve constantly with his battles over control with the royal family. Mahathir's storied career has cemented him as perhaps the most influential figure in Malaysia's history.

                                                                                             Mohathir Mohammad

Childhood & Early Life

·  Mahathir Mohamad was born on July 10, 1925 in Malaysia. He was raised in a poor neighborhood in Alor Setar region of the state of Kedah.

·  His father's name was Mohamad bin Iskandar. He was a principal with low socioeconomic standing. His mother was only a distant relative to Kedah royalty.

·  Mahathir excelled throughout school. He won a scholarship to an English secondary school.

·  He completed secondary school once the war ended. He enrolled in medical school at the ‘King Edward VII College of Medicine’ in Singapore.

                                                                 Mohathir Mohammad at Childhood

Career

·  After graduating medical school Mahathir got his first job in the medical industry. He worked as a government service doctor until 1956. In the same year, he returned to his home region of Alor Setar and opened up a private practice. He was the only Malay doctor in the area at that time.

·  Mahathir's second love was politics. He was active in protests as a student, where he advocated for Malaysian independence.

·  He was a strict supporter of the ‘United Malays National Organisation’ during his time in Alor Setar. He quickly became a prominent member through charismatic advocacy of his positions.

·  In 1959, he came close to running for office but ended up withholding himself from the election in protest due to conflict with the Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman.

·  In 1964, he ran for his first political office and won. He was elected to the seat representing Kota Setar Seletan in the federal parliament.

·  Mahathir began his career in politics during a volatile time. Racial tensions between the Chinese and Malay reached a fever pitch in 1969. In that same year Mahathir lost his re-election campaign.

·  The race riots of May 1969 saw hundreds of Chinese and Malay killed. Mahathir wrote an open letter criticizing Rahman for favoring Chinese interests. This let her got him fired from the supreme council and kicked out of the UMNO party.

·  In 1970 he published his first book, ‘The Malay Dilemma’. It was a further critique on the lack of support from Rahman's administration for the Malay people. This criticism got the book banned.

·  Mahathir returned politics in 1973 after a three year hiatus. He was appointed as a senator in new Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein's regime.

·  In 1974 he was appointed as the Minster of Education. He also won the seat for Kubang Pasu in the House of Representatives.

·  He ran for a vice-presidency position in the UMNO party and won. This set him up to be named deputy prime minister shortly after.

·  In 1981 he became prime minister. The first two years of his tenure saw battles for more authority with the royal family.

·  From 1981 to 2003, Mahathir made a great impact on Malaysian politics with his progressive policies. His tenure spanning over two decades is the longest any elected leader has served in his country, which attests to his list of accomplishments.

·  In retirement Mahathir has written several books, with the most recent being his memoirs in 2011.

                                                                                          Mohathir Mohammad

Major Works

·  Mahathir's most significant work was his 1970 book ‘The Malay Dilemma’. Many scholars agree that this book played a large part in Rahman's downfall the same year.

·  His biggest achievement during his time as prime minister was his recovery strategy during the Asian financial crisis of 1998. He went against his advisers and tied the currency to the U.S dollar. This bold move let Malaysia recover quicker than other countries.

                                                                              Mohathir Mohammad

Awards & Achievements

·  He was granted the title of ‘The Father of Modernization’ by the Malaysian people for his work in economic development.

Personal Life & Legacy

·  Mahathir married his college sweetheart Siti Hasmah, in 1956. The couple had their first child, Marina, the following year.

·  They have six more children, three of which are biological and three that were adopted. Their names are Mirzan, Melinda, Mokhzani, Mukhriz, Maizura, and Mazhar.

                                                                Malaysia of Developed Economy

Net Worth

·  Mahathir has an estimated net worth of $550 Million. His Son Mokhzani has also amassed a fortune of nearly 1 Billion dollars in the Oil and Gas industry.

Economic Development To Financial Crisis (1990–98)

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. 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'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 try 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.

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 financial crisis 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, 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.  

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 criticised 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".

The Final Years and Succession (1998–2003)

                                                                  Developed Malaysia

After Kuala Lumpur's phenomenal transformation. Putrajayawas another brainchild of then-Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Its development started in the early 1990s.

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.   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, 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, although the media speculated that it related to lurid allegations of sexual misconduct circulated in a "poison pen letter" at the general assembly.   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.  

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 sodomised 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.  

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".   In a speech in Kuala Lumpur, which Mahathir attended, US Vice-President Al Gorestated 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 Chrétienrefused 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. 

                             Mohathir Mohammad Become an Iconic Leader of Development

At UMNO's general assembly in 2002, Mahathir 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.   Having spent over 22 years in office, Mahathir was the world's longest-serving elected leader when he retired.  He remains Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister.

Falderal

·  This famous politician is also the author of 16 books

Quick Facts

Political Leaders, Prime Ministers

ALSO KNOWN AS

Mahathir Mohammad, Che Det, Tun Mahathir, Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad

FAMOUS AS

Former Prime Minister of Malaysia

NATIONALITY

Malaysian    Famous Malaysian Men

RELIGION

Sunni Islam, Islam

POLITICAL IDEOLOGY

Political party - United Malays National Organisation

BORN ON

10 July 1925 AD

BIRTHDAY

10th July    Famous 10th July Birthdays

CENTURY

20th Century

AGE

91 Years

SUN SIGN

Cancer    Cancer Men

BORN IN

Alor Setar

PERSONALITY TYPE

Courageous

CHARACTER TRAITS

Intelligent

IDEOLOGY

Nationalists

CHALLENGES FACED

Social/State Opposition

FATHER

Mohamad Iskandar

MOTHER

Wan Tempawan Wan Hanapi

SIBLINGS

Mahadi Mohamad, Omar Mohamad, Johora Mohamad, Mustaffa Mohamad, Rafeah Mohamad, Habsah Mohamad, Mashahor Mohamad, Murad Mohamad

SPOUSE/PARTNER:

Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali

CHILDREN

Marina Mahathir, Mokhzani Mahathir, Mukhriz Mahathir, Melinda Mahathir, Mazhar Mahathir, Maizura Mahathir, Mirzan Mahathir

EDUCATION

University of Malaya Singapore
Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid
University of Malaya
National University of Singapore

FOUNDER/CO-FOUNDER

Proton

HOBBIES

Riding and Sailing

AWARDS:

Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding