Mahathir bin Mohamad

Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun

Mahathir bin Mohamad

Prime Minister of Malaysia

In office
16 July 1981 – 31 October 2003
Ahmad Shah
Iskandar
Azlan Shah
Monarch Jaafar
Salahuddin
Mizan Zainal Abidin (Regent)
Sirajuddin
Musa Hitam
Ghafar Baba
Deputy
Anwar Ibrahim
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Preceded by Hussein Onn
Succeeded by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia

In office
15 September 1978 – 16 July 1981
Prime Minister Hussein Onn
Preceded by Hussein Onn
Succeeded by Musa Hitam

21st Secretary General of Non-Aligned Movement

In office
25 February 2003 – 31 October 2003
Preceded by Hussein Onn
Succeeded by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

20 December 1925.
Born Alor Star, Kedah, British Malaya,
United Kingdom
United Malays National Organisation-
Political party
National Front
Spouse(s) Siti Hasmah
Marina Mahathir, Mirzan Mahathir,
Melinda Mahathir, Mokhzani Mahathir,
Children
Mukhriz Mahathir, Maizura Mahathir
and Mazhar Mahathir
Profession Doctor of Medicine
Religion Islam

Signature

Website http://www.chedet.cc
Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad (pronounced [maˈhad̪ir bin moˈhamat̚]; born 10 July 1925[1])
was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003,
making him Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister, and one of the longest-serving leaders in
Asia.[2] Mahathir's political career spanned almost 40 years, from his election as a Malaysian
federal Member of Parliament in 1964, until his resignation as Prime Minister in 2003.
As Prime Minister, he was credited with engineering Malaysia's rapid modernisation.[3] During
his term in office, he was considered by some as one of Asia's most influential leaders. [4]
Mahathir was also widely known as an outspoken critic of Western-style globalization.[5]
Contents
1 Early life
1.1 Personal
1.2 Political career
2 Prime Minister
2.1 Deputy Prime Ministers
2.2 Major constitutional changes
2.3 Economic policies
2.4 1997 Asian financial crisis
 2.5 Sacking of Anwar Ibrahim
2.6 Educational system
2.7 Foreign relations
2.7.1 United States
2.7.2 Australia
2.7.3 Middle East and Criticism of Jewish
Power
2.7.4 Singapore
2.7.5 People's Republic of China
2.7.6 Bosnia-Herzegovina
2.7.7 Russian Federation
2.7.8 Developing world
3 Retirement
3.1 Criticism of his successor
3.2 Weblog
4 Resignation from UMNO
5 Other controversies
5.1 September 11 Attacks
5.2 Interference with the Malaysian Judiciary
6 Health
7 Legacy
8 Books
9 References
10 Notes and references
10.1 Other references
11 External links
11.1 Home pages
11.2 Others
Early life
Personal
Mahathir was born in Alor Setar, Kedah, the youngest of nine children [6] of a schoolteacher and a
housewife. His father, Mohamad Iskandar, was of Indian descent, being the son of a Malayalee
Muslim (who migrated from Kerala) and a Malay mother, while Mahathir's own mother, Wan
Tampawan, was Malay.[7]
During World War II, Japanese occupation of Malaya, he sold pisang goreng (banana fritters)
and other snacks to supplement his family income. Mahathir attended a Malay vernacular school
before continuing his education at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Alor Star. Mahathir then
attended the King Edward VII Medical College (the predecessor of present-day National
University of Singapore) in Singapore, where he edited a medical student magazine called The
Cauldron; he also contributed to the The Straits Times newspaper pseudonymously under the
nickname "C.H.E. Det". Mahathir was also President of the Muslim Society in the college. [8]
Upon graduation in 1953, Mahathir joined the then Malayan government service as a medical
officer. He married Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali—a fellow doctor and former classmate in college—
on 5 August 1956, and left government service in 1957 to set up his own private practice in Alor
Star. Mahathir thrived in private practice, and allowed him to own by 1959 a Pontiac Catalina
and employ an ethnic Chinese chauffeur (at the time, almost all chauffeurs in Malaysia were
Malays, owing to the economic dominance of the ethnic Chinese). [9] Some critics have suggested
this foreshadowed a later hallmark of Mahathir's politics, which focused on the "cultivation of
such emblems of power".[10]
From his marriage with Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah binti Haji Mohamad Ali, they have seven children,
[11]
four sons and three daughters: Marina Mahathir, Mirzan Mahathir, Melinda Mahathir,
Mokhzani Mahathir, Mukhriz Mahathir, Maizura Mahathir and Mazhar Mahathir. [12] Both
Mukhriz and Mokhzani [13] are involved in business as well as in politics while their eldest
daughter Marina is a prominent local writer and AIDS activist.[14]
He successfully underwent a heart bypass operation in 1989 at age 63.[12]
Political career
In the third general election of 1964, Mahathir was elected Member of Parliament for Kota Setar
Selatan[15] defeating the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party's (PAS) candidate with a 60.2% majority.
He lost the seat in the following general election in 1969 by a mere 989 votes to PAS's candidate,
Haji Yusoff Rawa.[16]
Following the race riots of 13 May 1969, Mahathir was sacked from the UMNO Supreme
Council on 12 July, following his widespread distribution to the public of his letter to Tunku
Abdul Rahman, the Prime Minister at that time. In his letter, he had criticised the manner in
which Tunku Abdul Rahman had handled the country's administration which was believed to
favour the ethnic Chinese. Dr. Mahathir was subsequently relieved of his party membership on
26 September.[16]
While in the political wilderness, Mahathir wrote his book, "The Malay Dilemma"[16] in which he
sought to explain the causes of the 13 May Incident in Kuala Lumpur and the reasons for the
Malays' lack of economic progress within their own country. He then proposed a politico-
economic solution in the form of "constructive protection", worked out after careful
consideration of the effects of heredity and environmental factors on the Malay race. The book,
published in 1970, was promptly banned by the Tunku Abdul Rahman government.[16] However,
some of the proposals in this book had been used by Tun Abdul Razak, Tunku Abdul Rahman's
successor, in his "New Economic Policy" (NEP) that was principally geared towards affirmative
action economic programs to address the nation's economic disparity between the Malays and the
non-Malays. The ban on his book was eventually lifted after Mahathir became Prime Minister in
1981.[16]
Mahathir rejoined UMNO on 7 March 1972, and was appointed as Senator in 1973. He
relinquished the senatorship post in 1974 in order to contest in the general elections where he
was returned unopposed in the constituency of Kubang Pasu, and was appointed as the Minister
of Education.[16] In 1975, he became one of the three vice-presidents of UMNO, after winning the
seat by 47 votes. Tun Hussein Onn appointed Mahathir as Deputy Prime Minister on 15
September 1978, and in a Cabinet reshuffle, appointed him concurrently as the Minister of Trade
and Industry.
Mahathir had announced that he has resigned from UMNO, the backbone of the ruling party, the
Barisan National on 19 May 2008 which coincides with the vesak Day celebration.
Prime Minister
Mahathir became the Prime Minister of Malaysia on 16 July 1981 when Tun Hussein Onn
stepped down due to health reasons. He was the nation's first Prime Minister that came from a
 modest social background, whereas the first three prime ministers were members of the royal or
elite families.[12]
After 22 years in office, Mahathir retired on 31 October 2003, making him one of Asia's longest-
serving political leaders. Upon his retirement on 31 October 2003, Mahathir was awarded a
"Tun"-ship, Malaysia's highest civilian honour.
Deputy Prime Ministers
 Tun Musa Hitam 1981-1986
 Tun Ghafar Baba 1986-1993, appointed by Mahathir
 Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim 1993-1998
 Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi 1999-2003, appointed by Mahathir
Major constitutional changes
In 1983 and 1991, he took on the federal and state monarchies, removing the royal veto and royal
immunity from prosecution.[10] Prior to this amendment of the law, royal assent was required in
order for any bill to pass into law. With effect of this amendment, approval by parliament could
be legally considered as royal assent after a period of 30 days, notwithstanding the views of the
monarchs.
In 1988 when the future of the ruling party UMNO was about to be decided in the Supreme
Court (it had just been de-registered as an illegal society in the High Court), he was believed to
have engineered the dismissal of the Lord President of the Supreme Court, Salleh Abas, and
three other supreme court justices who tried to block the misconduct hearings. The series of
incidents in 1988 has been widely viewed as the end of the Malaysian judiciary's independence
from the executive.
Economic policies
During his term in office, Mahathir turned Malaysia into a regional high-tech manufacturing,
financial, and telecommunications hub through his economic policies based on corporate
nationalism, known as the various "Malaysia Plans" which set out the government middle-term
objectives. These policies with strong Keynesian tendency remained in effect almost to the end
of his tenure in office. [citation needed]
His pet projects have included Perwaja Steel, an attempt to emulate South Korea and Japan, the
Proton car company, and Astro, a satellite television service. [citation needed]
Mahathir is credited with spearheading the phenomenal growth of the Malaysian economy, now
one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Growth between 1988 and 1997 averaged over ten percent
and living standards rose twentyfold, with poverty relatively almost eradicated and social
indicators such as literacy levels and infant mortality rates becoming almost on par with
developed countries. [citation needed]
During this period, Mahathir embarked on various large scale national projects, such as the
North-South Expressway, Multimedia Super Corridor, the planned capital city of Putrajaya,
Johor's Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the Bakun Dam in
Sarawak, and the Petronas Towers which he helped to design.
While such projects have their benefits, corresponding high costs have made some Malaysians
reluctant to engage in more of such ventures, believing that the money can be better spent on
other areas of development.[17] On the other hand, Mahathir has always argued that such projects
yield a direct return to the economy, apart from just serving the national pride, as government
spendings in turn create jobs along with other multiplier effects. Mahathir has also been
criticised for the failures and inefficiency of some of his pet projects. Perwaja Steel eventually
failed and had to be rescued by a corporate white knight. Its chairman, Chinese businessman Eric
Chia, faced charges of corruption in 2004. Astro enjoyed a monopoly on pay television services
in Malaysia until 2005 when it ended with the granting of a licence to a rival MiTV.
The Bakun Dam project was to be managed by a local construction firm, Ekran Berhad. It issued
a 1-for-1 on time rights issue which was 63% undersubscribed (the first time in Malaysia for an
event of this magnitude). Ekran's Chinese chairman, Ting Pek King, had to purchase all
unsubscribed shares at a cost of $500 million ringgit due to his agreement with the underwriters.
Subsequently the dam project was taken back by the government which was obliged to pay
Ekran for the work already completed. [citation needed]
1997 Asian financial crisis
During the Asian financial crisis of 1997, IMF had prescribed a recovery package for Malaysia,
but Mahathir defied international pressure, his then Deputy Anwar Ibrahim, and conventional
wisdom in rejecting the package. Though economic prosperity has been mixed since then,
Mahathir argued that Malaysia's recovery was relatively faster and better, as compared to many
other Asian countries affected. After the financial crisis, the IMF and World Bank acknowledged
that Mahathir's approach had worked.[18]
During Mahathir's administration, there are a few speculation activities made by the
administration which caused losses for Malaysia. Between 1981 and 1982, Malaysian businesses
became involved in the international tin venture. The activity caused the price of the commodity
to skyrocket, resulting in the collapse of the export market for tin. This venture cost Malaysia
USD 80 million or MYR 209 million in losses.[19]
In 1990, Bank Negara Malaysia became involved in the Pound Sterling speculation. The
speculation activity failed and costs the central bank USD 4 billion. [20] In 1994, the bank
continued to pursue the speculation activity and further lost USD 2.2 billion. Finally, in 1994, the
central bank technically become insolvent and was bailed out by the Ministry of Finance.[21][22]
Sacking of Anwar Ibrahim
In 1998, the government brought charges of sexual misconduct and abuse of power charges
against the former finance minister and deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar claimed
that he was being set up because he had tried to turn corruption and nepotism into major political
issues, with Mahathir and his associates as the targets. Mahathir's supporters believe that it was
Anwar's attempt to replace Mahathir as the Prime Minister, upon seeing the downfall of
Indonesia's Suharto, that has led him to be removed from politics altogether.
The government included the statements of the purported victims of Anwar's sexual assaults,
evidence that was alleged by some to be tainted. [23][24] Furthermore, the prosecution was unable to
accurately decide on a date that the alleged acts of anal sex had occurred - the government
originally alleged that a sodomy had occurred inside a building that had not been constructed at
the time of the alleged event. When the anomaly was pointed out, the prosecution amended the
date of the alleged acts to a date after the building was built. Mahathir himself went as far as to
go on television to declare Anwar guilty of sodomy and homosexual acts, even as the trial still
was underway. There was widespread condemnation of the trial from human rights groups and
the Malaysia bar association, who expressed serious doubts about its fairness. Mahathir then
ordered a crackdown on the media and opposition parties who protested the trial. Anwar Ibrahim
was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption and nine years prison for sodomy, to be
served consecutively.[25][26]
The Anwar crisis sparked protests by many Malaysians, of all ethnic groups, and Anwar's
supporters formed "Parti Keadilan Nasional" (National Justice Party) or "KeADILan". It
garnered widespread support from Malaysians, but it managed to win only five parliamentary
seats in the 1999 elections.[27] In the subsequent 2004 elections, when Mahathir's successor
became Prime Minister, KeADILan was nearly wiped out, with Anwar's wife Wan Azizah
winning its sole parliamentary seat. Six months later, Anwar's conviction was overturned and he
was released. Mahathir criticized the release of Anwar. The 2008 elections showed a major
comeback from the opposition parties with Anwar's KeADILan party helping to form five state
governments, as well as becoming the biggest opposition party in Parliament.
Educational system
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Further information: Education in Malaysia
In 1974, Mahathir was appointed Minister of Education.[28][29] He had always believed in the need
for "education for the masses", with greater emphasis on maths and science, at high school level,
in order to achieve his dream of a developed Malaysia. He continued to strongly promote his
agenda of quantity-and-quality higher education during his term as prime minister.[citation needed]
In those days, English, Chinese and Tamil-medium schools were fully run by private and
missionary organizations. Students from these school sat for the respective overseas
examinations set by the board of school committees and associations. For instance, Overseas
Cambridge School Certificate (OSC) was set for English schools. [citation needed] Under the former
Prime Minister's order, he drafted the KBSM syllabus in order to make Malay a compulsory
subject to be taught in all subjects in these schools. Overseas examinations were subsequently
abolished one after another throughout the years. Schools which converted to the national type
received heavy fundings from the government. Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Rendah
Pelajaran (SRP) were fully introduced as national examinations.[citation needed]
In order to cater for the lower income indigenous population, boarding schools were promoted
and constructed. Through government scholarships, tens of thousands of students were sent
yearly to universities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia—western-type
countries that Mahathir aspired to achieve par development with. Middle- and higher-income
groups from non-Bumiputera Malaysians who were unable to get a place in the local universities,
due to the restrictive quota system and limited government scholarships, also independently sent
their children to these universities. This has led Malaysia to have the third largest number of
students going to western-type countries to pursue higher education, after China and India.[citation
needed]

In 1980, education quota was introduced as part of the National Economic Policy.[30] Mahathir
who became the acting prime minister, introduced the quota system to all economic sectors in
Malaysia including the education system, whereby a designated percentage of undergraduate
seats of higher institutions were reserved for Bumiputra citizens.
Towards his later years, Mahathir promoted the liberalization of university start-ups, leading to
branch campuses being built or the formation of permanent tie-ups with some of the most
prestigious universities in the world. Amongst others, these led to the construction of the
University of Nottingham in Malaysia (in partnership with the University of Nottingham, U.K.),
Malaysia University of Science and Technology (M.U.S.T.), in partnership with M.I.T. (U.S.)
and Motorola) , Monash University Malaysia (in partnership with Monash University, Australia)
and Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Campus (in partnership with Curtin University of
Technology, Australia)
Private companies with a long running history in Malaysia like Intel and AMD were also
encouraged to set up, and run partnerships and/or higher education centres and centres of
excellence.
In the year before his retirement, he announced that Mathematics and Science subjects must be
taught in English in all primary and secondary schools with aim to increase competitiveness of
Malaysian students.[31]
Foreign relations
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(January 2008)
During Mahathir's tenure in office, Malaysia's relationship with the West was generally fine
despite being known to be an outspoken critic towards them. [32] Early during his tenure, a small
disagreement with the United Kingdom over university tuition fees sparked off 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". Although the dispute was later resolved by Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher, Mahathir continued to emphasize Asian development models over
contemporary Western ones.
United States
Mahathir has always been an outspoken critic of the United States [5] and yet 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.
Some say that relations with the United States took a turn for the worse in 1998, [33] when US
Vice President Al Gore stated at the APEC conference hosted by Malaysia:
"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."
Gore left immediately after making that statement, probably as a form of protest.[citation needed]
Gore and the United States were critical of the trial of Mahathir's former deputy Anwar Ibrahim,
going as far to label it as a "show trial". US News and World Report called the trial a "tawdry
spectacle."[34] The government included the statements of the purported "victims" of Anwar's
sodomy attacks, evidence that was widely considered to be tainted. Furthermore, the prosecution
was unable to determine the date on which the alleged acts had occurred. The government
originally contended that an act of sodomy had occurred inside a building that had not been
constructed at the time of the alleged event. Mahathir himself went as far as to go on television
to declare Anwar guilty of sodomy and homosexual acts, even as the trial still was under way. In
response to widespread condemnation of the trail from human-rights groups and the Malaysian
bar association, he ordered a crackdown on the media and opposition parties who protested the
trial. Many of the "reformasi" supporters who were against Mahathir at that time were arrested
by the FRU and Special Branch and were detained without trial under the ISA. Some of them
were opposition supporters, and some of them were former academics.
Also, Anwar Ibrahim 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."[35] Gore's endorsement for the reformasi (reformation)
asking for (among other things) the ouster of Mahathir, was anathema to Mahathir, and he
remarked that "I've never seen anybody so rude". This also summed up the Malaysian
expectation that one who is a guest should not show such discourtesy to the host.[36]

Mahathir greeting U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.
However, Mahathir's views were already firmly entrenched before this event. For example,
before the ASEAN meeting in 1997, he made a speech condemning the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, calling it an oppressive instrument by which the United States and other
countries try to impose their values on Asians. He added that Asians need stability and economic
growth more than civil liberties. These remarks did not endear him to U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright, who was a guest at the meeting.
The relationship was stormy both ways. Following Anwar's sacking and subsequent
imprisonment, Madeleine Albright paid a visit to Anwar's wife.
Yet Mahathir has not hesitated to point to America 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."
At the other end of the spectrum, the United States government has previously criticised the
Malaysian government for implementing the ISA, most recently in 2001 when President George
W. Bush said "The Internal Security Act is a draconian law. No country should any longer have
laws that allow for detention without trial." In 2004, however, Bush reversed his stance and
claimed "We cannot simply classify Malaysia’s Internal Security Act as a draconian law."
In 2003 Mahathir spoke to the Non-Aligned Movement in Kuala Lumpur, and as part of his
speech, said:
"If innocent people who died in the attack on Afghanistan and 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?"[clarification needed]
Marie Huhtala, the American ambassador to Malaysia responded with a statement:
"These are not helpful statements by any standard, and I'm here to tell you that Washington does
take note of them. They are bound to have a harmful effect on the relationship."
More recently, the 2003 Invasion of Iraq caused additional friction between the two countries;
Mahathir was highly critical of President Bush for acting without a United Nations mandate.
In spite of all this, Malaysia's relationship with the US has been strong. A 2003 house
subcommittee hearing (Serial No. 108–21) on US policy towards South East Asia sums it up as
"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".
Even after retirement, Mahathir was not hesitant about his criticisms of the United States. In
2004, (The Star, 18 October 2004), he was quoted as having said "The American people are, by
and large, very ignorant and know nothing about the rest of the world.... Yet they are the people
who will decide who will be the most powerful man in the world". In the same interview, he also
predicted George W. Bush's victory in the 2004 United States Presidential Election, in which he
was later proven correct.
Australia
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".)[37]
Mahathir, along with other Malaysian politicians (and many other Asian leaders) also heavily
criticized Keating's successor, John Howard, whom he believed had encouraged Pauline Hanson,
whose views were widely perceived in Asia[citation needed] (and Australia)[38] as racist. Australian
politicians then pointed out Mahathir's farcical trial of Anwar Ibrahim, saying that the
prosecution was using homophobic overtones. [citation needed]
Mahathir has valued the right of a nation to do whatever it wants within its borders, which he
calls "sovereignty". This was articulated in the ASEAN policy of non-interference. In 2000,
Mahathir was quoted as saying: "If Australia wants to be a friend to Asia, it should stop behaving
as if it is there to teach us how to run our country. It is a small nation in terms of numbers and it
should behave like a small nation and not be a teacher." He also said, "This country stands out
like a sore thumb trying to impose its European values in Asia as if it is the good old days when
people can shoot aborigines without caring about human rights". [citation needed]
Mahathir also made remarks to the effect that John Howard was trying to be America's 'Deputy
Sheriff' in the Pacific region. This was in response to John Howard's statement that they would
pursue terrorists over the borders of their neighbours.
His perception of Howard has not softened after retirement. In an interview, he stated: "They
(accepted) Blair, and I am sure they will accept Bush. They have already accepted Howard who
told a blatant lie", a reference to the "Children overboard" scandal during the run-up to the 2001
Australian elections.
Middle East and Criticism of Jewish Power
Under Mahathir, Malaysia was a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, and established
diplomatic relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization. (Israeli citizens remain banned
from entering Malaysia and Malaysian citizens from Israel without special government
permission.) In 1986, a major diplomatic row erupted with neighbouring Singapore when Chaim
Herzog, the President of Israel, paid a state visit.
Mahathir's public remarks about Jews date back as early as 1970 when he wrote in his
controversial book The Malay Dilemma: "The Jews for example are not merely hook-nosed, but
understand money instinctively."[39][40]
In 1997, during the financial crisis, he attributed the collapse of the Malaysian ringgit to a
conspiracy of Jews against a prosperous Muslim state: "The Jews robbed the Palestinians of
everything, but in Malaysia they could not do so, hence they do this, depress the ringgit." Under
strong international criticism, he issued a partial retraction, but not in Malay language media
sources.[41]
On 16 October 2003, shortly before he stepped down as prime minister, Mahathir said during a
summit for the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Putrajaya, that:
We [Muslims] are actually very strong, 1.3 billion people cannot be simply wiped
“ out. The Nazis killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million [during the Holocaust]. But
today the Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them.
They invented socialism, communism, human rights and democracy so that
persecuting them would appear to be wrong so they may enjoy equal rights with
others. With these they have now gained control of the most powerful countries. And
they, this tiny community, have become a world power.[42] ”
He also named Israel as "the enemy allied with most powerful nations." Israel strongly criticized
the remarks. The speech was also condemned by most nations from the West. Speaking on
behalf of the European Union, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said that Dr Mahathir had
employed "expressions that were gravely offensive, very strongly anti-Semitic and... strongly
counter to principles of tolerance, dialogue and understanding'." At the same time, Mahathir's
speech was defended by several Muslim leaders and politicians, including Egyptian foreign
minister Ahmed Maher and Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai.[40][43] United States Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice said Bush considered the comments "reprehensible and hateful." [44]
The Muslim Public Affairs Council condemned Mahathir's remarks as "extremely offensive, anti-
Semitic comments."[40] The Malaysian prime minister's comments were also condemned by
Jewish organizations and the government of Israel.
His comments were widely criticized in the West, but the issue was ignored in Asia and Islamic
countries, which felt that his remark had been taken out of context. Mahathir later defended his
remarks, saying: "I am not anti-Semitic ... I am against those Jews who kill Muslims and the
Jews who support the killers of Muslims."
He tagged the West as "anti-Muslim", for double standards by "protecting Jews while allowing
others to insult Islam." He also said "But when somebody condemns the Muslims, calls my
prophet, "terrorist", did the European Union say anything?"[45]
Singapore
Mahathir is an alumnus of the Medical College at the University of Malaya at that time located
in Singapore under British Malaya [University of Malaya campus at Singapore has since been
renamed National University of Singapore while the campus at Kuala Lumpur remains as
University of Malaya]. He graduated as a physician from then King Edward VII Medical College
in 1953, during British rule. He is held in high regard by his alma mater, and regularly attends
reunions.
However, relations with Singapore under Mahathir's tenure have been stormy. Many disputed
issues raised during his administration have not been resolved, and in fact have been
exaggerated. Many of these international issues have been raised up under Mahathir's
Premiership term, but no significant headway had been made then to resolve them bilaterally.
Issues have included:
 the low price of raw water paid by Singapore to Malaysia (3 Malaysian cents (US$0.008)
per 1000 gallons);
 the proposed replacement of the Causeway by a suspension bridge to improve water flow
through the Straits of Johor (later cancelled by Mahathir's successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi);
 Singapore's land reclamation work, affecting shipping access to Port Tanjung Pelepas;
 the use of Malaysian airspace by Republic of Singapore Air Force jets;
 the status of Pedra Branca Island (also known as "Pulau Batu Putih"), was brought to the
International Court of Justice and now belongs to Singapore; and
 the sovereignty of the railway line crossing Singapore and Points of Agreement regarding
the matter.
Both sides had stubbornly refused to compromise, with the result of bilateral relations turning
frosty.[citation needed] The absurdity of the whole situation was illustrated by Mahathir's proposal to
replace the Malaysian portion of the Causeway with half a bridge, with the end result, a structure
which would symbolise Singapore's uncompromising attitude. [citation needed] Under Prime Minister
Abdullah, whose policy is to give in to almost every request, relations have begun to thaw, and
inter-citizen relations have gone on much as they have before in that they are totally independent
of political bickering. Many Singaporeans and Malaysians have relatives on the both sides of the
Causeway, and despite the bickering of both governments over different issues, relations
between citizens of both countries remained unaffected.
Recently, the issue of replacement of the Causeway with a bridge and the use of Malaysian
airspace by the RSAF have been solved by Mahathir's successor Abdullah by giving in to the
demands of the Singaporean government, an issue that has been heavily criticised by Mahathir.
[citation needed]

People's Republic of China

Though an anti-communist in his early career, Mahathir highly approves of the new directions
adopted by the People's Republic of China (PRC) after Deng Xiaoping's ascension to power.
Malaysia and the PRC maintained a close relationship since the late 1990s, when doubts and
suspicions of China's ambition in ASEAN region were cleared, and Mahathir and Chinese
leaders found many common grounds in their authoritarian style of ruling and their opposition to
Western interference in regional matters. Mahathir is keen that the rise of PRC could to some
extent balance the American influence in Southeast Asia, as well as benefiting Malaysia from the
PRC's economic prosperity.[citation needed]
Bosnia-Herzegovina
In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mahathir has been noted as a particular ally and sympathetic co-
religionist of that nation. He visited Sarajevo in June, 2005 to open a bridge near Bosmal City
Center signifying friendship between Malaysians and Bosnians.
He made another 3-day visit to Visoko to see the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun in July 2006. He
made another visit a few months later.
In February 2007, four non-governmental organizations: the Sarajevo School of Science and
Technology, the Congress of Bosniak Intellectuals, and two Christian organizations: the Serb
Civil Council and the Croat National Council, nominated Mahatir for the 2007 Nobel Peace
Prize for his work during the conflict.[46]
On 22 June 2007, he made another visit to Sarajevo with a group of Malaysian businessmen to
explore the investment opportunities in the country.
Russian Federation
Before the fall of the Soviet Union, Malaysia had relations with the Communist state. When the
Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the Malaysian government and other Islamic states sided
with the Mujahideen. Since the 1990s however, relations between Russia and Malaysia have
improved significantly. In 2002 Mahathir made his visit to Moscow. He made the statement that
Russia can be the rival to the United States and Israel and he praised Russian President Vladimir
Putin and his opposition to Western interference and democracy promotion.[citation needed]
Developing world
Among some developing and Islamic countries, Mahathir is generally respected, [32] particularly
for Malaysia's relatively high economic growth as well as for his support towards liberal Muslim
values.[47] Foreign leaders, such as Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev, praised him
and have been trying to emulate Mahathir's developmental formulae. He was one of the greatest
spokesmen on Third World issues, and strongly supported the bridging of the North-South
divide, as well as exhorting the development of Islamic nations. He was dedicated to various
Third World blocs such as ASEAN, the G77, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of
Islamic Nations, and most recently, the G22 at the latest WTO talks at Cancún.
Retirement

Mahathir bin Mohammad in UN.

In 2002 a tearful speech[48] Mahathir announced his resignation to a surprised UMNO General
Assembly. He was persuaded to stay on for a further eighteen months, in a carefully planned
handover that ended in October 2003. On his retirement, he was granted Malaysia's highest
honour, which entitles him to the title Tun from his original Datuk Seri. Since retirement, he has
been serving as an advisor to the Malaysian national oil company Petronas and the Malaysian
national car company Proton, an original core national project initiated by Mahathir during his
premiership. He is also the head of the Perdana Leadership Foundation, a foundation whose aim
is to preserve, develop and spread materials regarding or written by previous Malaysian Prime
Ministers. While he has retired from all political offices, he remains very outspoken regarding
national policies.
In 2005 Mahathir brought up the issue of excessive awarding of Approved Permits (APs) to
import cars, stating that they were creating too much competition for Proton, causing friction
between him and Rafidah Aziz, the Minister for International Trade and Industry, who oversaw
the awarding of APs. His successor, Abdullah, then announced that a National Automotive
Policy (NAP) would be created to appropriately handle the issue. Later, when touching on the
issue, Mahathir lamented the government's majority in Parliament, saying, "I believe that the
country should have a strong government but not too strong. A two-thirds majority like I enjoyed
when I was prime minister is sufficient but a 90% majority is too strong....We need an opposition
to remind us if we are making mistakes. When you are not opposed you think everything you do
is right".[49]
Mahathir has also ventured into a bakery business with a Japanese partner. Together they
established a Japanese-style bakery and bistro outlet called "The Loaf". As of October 2007,
there are two outlets in Malaysia, one in Langkawi and one in Kuala Lumpur. They are planning
expand their business into other countries in Southeast Asia.[50] In May 2008, Mahathir started a
blog under his old pseudonym, which reached a million visitors within the span of one month. [51]
[52]

Criticism of his successor

In 2006 Mahathir's relationship with his successor started to get strained. In a press conference
on 7 June 2006 at the Perdana Leadership Foundation, which he heads, Mahathir said that
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was not his first choice as successor but it was the current Prime
Minister, Najib Tun Razak, instead. He said that he felt hurt by allegations that he "finished all
the government's money, and that the government was bankrupt" because of the mega-projects
initiated by him during his tenure as prime minister. [53] Mahathir added that he has "...a habit of
choosing the wrong people" when he was answering the question whether Abdullah had stabbed
him in the back.[53] He has also criticised the present government's decision to scrap the plan to
replace Malaysia's side of the Johor-Singapore Causeway. In his opinion, Malaysia does not need
to seek the approval to build a bridge on its own soil. This and other such issues have led many
to believe that UMNO is under the threat of splitting into Mahathir and Badawi factions. A
statement was issued by UMNO to reassure the public that they wholeheartedly supported
Badawi, although as of yet, no stand has been taken over the issue of Mahathir's membership in
the party. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Nazri Aziz, suggested that Mahathir
"wants to force him (Abdullah) to quit. He needs to be told he is no longer Prime Minister. His
campaign is not for the sake of the country but for himself."[54]
To make his voice heard, Mahathir decided to bid to become a delegate from Kubang Pasu for
the 2006 UMNO general assembly. This move, if successful, would bring great chagrin to
Abdullah who seemed to use every form of censorship available to shut Mahathir up. He failed
in his bid to be elected as a representative which is surprising given the fact that Kubang Pasu is
his stronghold for over three decades.[55] Later, an angry Mahathir claimed that the
"establishment" (in reference to the present government) were doing everything in their power
including, but not limited to using government machine that is normally reserved for general
elections, to ensure that he didn't get elected. Mahathir even went as far as to allege — albeit,
without proof — that the interested party paid RM200 for every vote cast against him. Mahathir
also challenged the government to throw him in jail if the government wanted him to shut his
mouth.[56]
On, 22 October 2006, Mahathir had a private meeting with Abdullah, in which he voiced his
dissatisfactions face-to-face for the first time with Abdullah. This meeting was highly anticipated
by members of UMNO and other Malaysians to be an opportunity to narrow the differences
between both of them.
However, Mahathir continued his criticisms of Abdullah after the meeting, saying that he was
not satisfied with Abdullah's answers to his views.[57]
In a press conference after the meeting, Mahathir revealed one of his dissatisfactions; he felt that
his civil liberties to voice his opinions and meeting with people were curtailed by the
government. This is a quote from the press conference on this topic.
 "And I pointed out to him that firstly, this has become a police state. Because every time
anybody invites me to give a talk, they would be called up by the police and warned, called up
by the police and told to withdraw the invitation. Someone was not allowed to hold any meeting
at all which involves me. This happened to many people. They were very shy to tell me about it
but they were called up by the police and of course they were also called up by the Menteri Besar
as well... But I consider this a police state. And I consider also that my civic right has been taken
away from me because I have every right to talk to Umno people, university people, civil
servants and that’s my right".[57]
Mahathir also voiced certain conducts of Abdullah and his relatives (before and after Abdullah
became Prime Minister) that would amount to corruption although Mahathir did not explicitly
accuse Abdullah of that. Mahathir expressed his disappointment regarding Abdullah's role in the
oil-for-food programme with Iraq; Abdullah's name was listed as a beneficiary in a report
published by the US government regarding the programme. Abdullah's son-in-law, Khairy
Jamaluddin, and his son had also been accused by Mahathir of offering contracts to their
connections, which amounts to corruption.
Mahathir had also criticised Abdullah's handling of the Approved Permits (AP) issue, expressing
his surprise that Rafidah Aziz was still retained as a Cabinet member although two people on the
list of persons issued with highest number of APs were linked to Rafidah.[57]
Weblog
Mahathir started to weblog since May 2008. The site is intended to publish all his writings as
when he is able to pen his thoughts and opinions. [1]
Resignation from UMNO
Mahathir announced his resignation from UMNO on 19 May 2008 (Monday) at 12.35pm before
1,000 Kedah UMNO members in Alor Star and urged other members to follow suit as a way of
pressuring Abdullah to step down. However, he resists to join any other party and would only
rejoin UMNO after Abdullah steps down. Mahathir rejoined UMNO after Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi stepped down as prime minister in 2009.
Other controversies
September 11 Attacks
In 2006 he had a 2-hour talk with James W. Walter and William Rodriguez with regards to the
US Government involvement in the 9/11 attacks.[58] He urged the world's 1.3 billion Muslims to
boycott Dutch products following the release of the anti-Islam movie Fitna by the Dutch
politician Geert Wilders, it was reported on 30 March 2008.[59]
In January 2010, Mahathir stated the September 11 attacks, conducted by Arab Muslim terrorists
and coordinated[citation needed] by Osama bin Laden would have been "staged" by a US government
conspiracy to justify attacking Muslims,[60] a 9/11 conspiracy theory. He also said he was "more
sensitive to the victims as I am saying this is done deliberately" and rejected comments that
interpreted his statement as a publicity stunt. He added Jews "had always been a problem in
European countries. They had to be confined to ghettoes and periodically massacred. But still
they remained, they thrived and they held whole governments to ransom...Even after their
massacre by the Nazis of Germany, they survived to continue to be a source of even greater
problems for the world."[61]
Interference with the Malaysian Judiciary
Many commentators are critical of Mahathir's perceived corruption, particularly because of his
penchant for megaprojects and his policies aimed at creating a class of Malay capitalists.
However, former de facto Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim writes in his memoirs: "In my heart, I
cannot accept allegations that Dr Mahathir personally was a corrupt man. Corrupt people are
never brave enough to speak as loudly as Dr Mahathir. Wealth is not a major motivation for him.
He only craves power."[62]
Health
The former Prime Minister has a history of mild heart attacks. He had a coronary artery bypass in
1989. On 9 November 2006, he was admitted into Institut Jantung Negara (National Heart
Institute) in Kuala Lumpur after suffering a mild heart attack that was caused by a clot in his
arteries and has since recovered.[63] On 14 May 2007, Mahathir was admitted to the intensive care
unit of a hospital in Langkawi after suffering from breathing difficulties.[64]
Mahathir, 82, underwent a second heart bypass on 4 September 2007 in a specialist cardiac
hospital in Kuala Lumpur.[65] He recovered in the intensive care unit where he was operated on
by a team of surgeons, including a US specialist.[66]
On 23 September 2007, Mahathir underwent further surgery at the National Heart Institute due to
an infection of the surgical wound in his chest. [67] He has since come out of the hospital and
appears to be healthy, even appearing in the V. K. Lingam public inquiry on 17 January 2008 as
a witness.[68]
Legacy

Mahathir was featured on the facade of Telekom Tower in Kuala Lumpur during the national day
celebrations in 2004.
For his efforts to promote the economic development of the country, Mahathir has been granted
the soubriquet of Bapa Pemodenan (Father of Modernization).[3]
Mahathir's official residence, Sri Perdana, where he resided from 23 August 1983 to 18 October
1999, was turned into a museum (Galeria Sri Perdana). In keeping with the principle of heritage
conservation, the original design and layout of the Sri Perdana has been preserved.
Books
 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
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Notes and references
Other references
 Greider, William. (1997). One World, Ready or Not. Penguin Press. ISBN 0-7139-9211-5.
 Hong, Carolyn. (31 October 2005). "Mahathir dismisses talk of comeback". Straits Times.
 Kamarudin, Raja Petra. (9 November 2005). "The Anwar Factor". Malaysia Today.
 Kamaruddin, Raja Petra. (4 November 2005). "The true meaning of political doublespeak".
Malaysia Today.
 "Malaysia auto plan seen as another wake-up call to Proton" . Associated Press.
 Mydans, Seth. (16 October 1997). "Malaysian Premier Sees Jews Behind Nation's Money Crisis"
The New York Times
 Nazri, Syed. (6 November 2005). "When will Dr M tell all?" New Sunday Times, p. 19.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mahathir Mohamad

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mahathir bin Mohamad

Wikinews has related news: Former Malaysian prime minister suffers heart attack
Home pages
 Dr Mahathir Mohamad's Blog (Launched May 2008, Moved here in January 2009)
Others
 BBC Profile: Mahathir Mohamad
 Idea Exchange Place for Dr Mahathir Thoughts
 Mahathir hospitalised after heart attack
 Turkish Daily News, from Mahathir's final days in office
 Islam the Misunderstood Religion by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
 Perdana Leadership Foundation website on Malaysia’s past Prime Ministers.
 BBC News: Mahathir in his own words
 Dr Mahathir uses YouTube to speak out about the dangers of war
 BBC News: In Pictures: Mahathir steps down
 BBC News: Malaysia defends speech on Jews
 Asiaweek: Al Gore's rebuke of APEC host Mahathir
 Text of Dr Mahathir's speech to the OIC on 16 October 2003
 Dr M slams Pak Lah but BN leaders rally behind the PM
Political offices
Preceded by Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Succeeded by
Hussein Onn 1978 – 1981 Musa Hitam
Preceded by Prime Minister of Malaysia Succeeded by
Hussein Onn 1981 – 2003 Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Secretary General of Non-Aligned
Preceded by Succeeded by
Movement
Thabo Mbeki Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
2003