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Tun
Dr.
Mahathir bin Mohamad (IPA: [ma'ħɑ.điɽ bin mʊħɑmmćd̚]) (recorded as born on 20 December
1925) 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] During his term in office, he was credited for
engineering Malaysia's rapid modernization[3] and promoting non-individualistic "Asian
values".[4] Mahathir is also known for his criticisms of western
and developed countries.[5] During his administration, he
was considered as one of Asia's most influential leaders.[6] Mahathir is also noted in the Western world as an
outspoken critic of Western civilization.[7] [edit] Early life
[edit] Personal
Mahathir was born on 10 July
1925, in Alor
Star, the capital of the northern state of Kedah,[8] the youngest of nine children[9] of a schoolteacher and a housewife. His father,
Mohamad Iskandar, was of half-Indian origin, being the son of a Malayalee
Muslim (who migrated from Kerala) and a Malay mother, while Mahathir's own mother, Wan
Tampawan, was Malay.[10] During World
War II, he sold pisang goreng (banana fritters) and other snacks to
supplement his family income during the Japanese
occupation of Malaya. 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 in Singapore, where he edited a medical student magazine
called The
Cauldron; he also contributed to the The Straits Times newspaper anonymously
under the nickname "Che Det". Mahathir was also President of the
Muslim Society in the college.[11] 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).[12] Some critics have suggested this foreshadowed a later
hallmark of Mahathir's politics, which focused on the "cultivation of
such emblems of power".[13] From his marriage with Siti
Hasmah binti Haji Mohamad Ali, they have five children,[14] three sons and two daughters.[15] Both Mukhriz
and Mokhzani Mahathir[16] are involved in business as well as in politics while
their eldest daughter Marina Mahathir is a prominent local writer and
AIDS activist.[17] He successfully underwent a
heart bypass operation in 1989 at age 63.[15] [edit] Political career
In the third general election
of 1964, Mahathir was elected Member of Parliament for Kota Setar Selatan[18] 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[19]. 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. Mahathir was subsequently relieved of his party membership on
26 September.[19] While in the political
wilderness, Mahathir wrote his book, "The Malay Dilemma"[19] 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.[19] 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.[19] 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.[19] 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 has announced that he has
resigned from UMNO, the backbone of the ruling party, the Barisan National on
19 May 2008 which coincides with the Wesak Day celebration. [edit] 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.[15] 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. [edit] Major
constitutional changes
In 1983 and 1991, he took on
the federal and state monarchies, removing the royal veto and royal immunity
from prosecution.[13] 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. However, this only applied to secular
laws and the various sultans continued to enjoy the right to make Islamic law in
their own jurisdictions. In 1988 when the future of the ruling
party UMNO was about to be decided in the Supreme Court (it had just been deregistered
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. [edit] 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 South
East 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. 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.[20] 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, Eric Chia,
faced charges of corruption in 2004. Proton eventually had to be bought by Petronas when
its parent DRB-HICOM
found itself over-extended, and is still currently fighting to become
profitable. 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 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] [edit] 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.[21] 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.[22] In 1990, Bank Negara Malaysia became involved in the Pound Sterling
speculation. The speculation activity failed and costs the central bank USD 4
billion.[23] 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.[24][25] [edit] 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.[26][27] 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.[28][29] The Anwar crisis sparked
protests by some Malaysians, of all ethnic
groups, and some of Anwar's supporters from UMNO regrouped around the
intellectual-Muslim "Parti Keadilan Nasional" (National
Justice Party). It garnered widespread support from Malaysians, however it
managed to win only five parliamentary seats in the 1999 elections.[30] In the subsequent 2004 elections, with Anwar's
release and conviction overturned, the party was nearly wiped out, with Wan Azizah,
the wife of Anwar, winning one seat by a narrow margin. However, the 2008 elections
showed a comeback from the opposition parties with Keadilan winning the
Selangor state. [edit] Educational
system
Further information: Education in Malaysia In 1974, Mahathir was appointed
Minister of Education.[31][32] 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.[33] 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 (natives) 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.[34] [edit] Foreign relations
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.[5] 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. [edit] United States
Mahathir has always been an
outspoken critic of the United States[7] 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,[35] 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." Al Gore left immediately after
making that statement, probably as a form of protest.[citation needed] Al 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". The trial
itself was a tawdry spectacle. 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
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.
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. In
response to widespread condemnation of the trail from human rights groups and
the Malaysia 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, among others. 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."[36] 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.[37]
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 went on to share his view 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 Ibrahim'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?"[clarify] 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. In another October 2006
interview with Associated Press, he predicted that the
Republicians will retain both chambers in the 2006 mid-term elections
because "American voters are not astute and will be fooled by President
George W. Bush's propaganda." This prediction was proven faulty. [edit] 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. Mahathir
regularly took offense at portrayals of Malaysia in the Australian media
(which criticized Mahathir's belligerence and outspokeness), calling on the
government to intervene in this (an action that would be politically
unthinkable in Australia). 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".)[38] 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[39]) 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. Despite this supposed
non-interference policy, Malaysia during Mahathir's premiership had been
constantly criticising Singapore, but would take the slightest unfavourable
comment coming from Singapore as an attempt to interfere in the domestic
affairs of Malaysia.[citation needed] [edit] Middle East
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."[40][41] 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.[42] 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:
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.[41][44] United States Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice said Bush considered the comments "reprehensible and hateful."[45] The Muslim Public Affairs Council
condemned Mahathir's remarks as "extremely offensive, anti-Semitic
comments."[41] 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?"[46] [edit] Singapore
Mahathir is an alumnus
of the National University of Singapore
(previously named 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:
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, 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 successfully solved by Mahathir's successor Abdullah, an issue that has been heavily
criticised by Mahathir. [edit] 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. [edit] 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.[47] On 22 June 2007, he made
another visit to Sarajevo with a group of Malaysian businessmen to explore
the investment opportunities in the country. [edit] 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.[citation needed] [edit] Developing world
Among some developing and Islamic countries, Mahathir is generally
respected,[5] particularly for Malaysia's relatively high economic
growth as well as for his support towards liberal Muslim values.[48] 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. [edit] Retirement
Mahathir at the
50th Hari Merdeka Parade (Independence Day)
celebrations. In 2002 a tearful[49] 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".[50] 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 coutries in Southeast Asia.[51] In May 2008, Mahathir started a blog under his old
pseudonym, which reached a million visitors within the span of one month.[52][53] [edit] 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 Deputy 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.[54] 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.[54] 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."[55] 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.[56] 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 casted against
him. Mahathir also challenged the government to throw him in jail if the
government wanted him to shut his mouth.[57] 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.[58] 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.
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.[58] He continued his criticisms of
Abdullah for being responsible for the ruling party's disastrous performance
in the recent general elections.
Mahathir accused Abdullah of corruption, nepotism and weakness in his
administration and said they were reasons voters snubbed the UMNO-led
coalition.[59] [edit] 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] [edit] 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. His departure raises the
possibility of large-scale desertions by loyalists, which could split the
party and bring down the government.[1] His son Mukhriz, the Jerlun
member of Parliament, and a contender for the UMNO youth chief post in the
next party election, however stays put but nevertheless urges Abdullah to
quit immediately. [edit] Other
controversies
Former Malaysia Airlines chief executive officer,
Tajudin Ramli claimed that he (Tajudin) was "forced" to buy out the
shares of Malaysia Airlines by Mahathir during a period when the national
carrier suffered financial difficulties. However, Mahathir denied this claim
and said that he only asked if Tajudin was interested in the shares.[60] 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.[61] 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.[62] On 17 January 2008, Mahathir
was brought before a Royal Commission that is looking into alleged manipulation
of top judicial appointments during his admnistration, a scandal that has
cast doubts about the independence of Malaysia's judiciary. He was made to
testify before a government inquiry into a secretly recorded video clip that
showed a man believed to be a prominent lawyer, V.K.
Lingam, boasting that he could get key judicial appointments made with
Mahathir's help. Throughout the inquiry Mahathir feign ignorance and forgot
key timelines.[63] The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam video
clip finally found that it was former Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim
who was talking to prominent lawyer Datuk V.K.
Lingam on the telephone. Sources said the five-man panel also found that
the video clip was authentic and that the conversation was true in substance.
They said the commission also found that it was lawyer Loh Mui
Fah who Lingam was speaking to after his telephone conversation
with Fairuz. Commission chairman Tan Sri Haidar
Mohamed Noor presented a two-volume report on the findings to the
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at the Istana Negara here
yesterday.[64] The Cabinet has ordered the attorney-general to
immediately direct agencies to investigate on allegations levelled against
six prominent individuals identified in the Lingam video clip. The six are
former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, retired chief justices Tun
Mohd Eusoff
Chin and Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim,
former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, tycoon Tan
Sri Vincent
Tan and prominent lawyer Datuk V.K.
Lingam.[65] See also: Royal
Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Video Clip Justice Datuk Ian Chin revealed
that he received threats from a former prime minister in two cases he
presided in Sibu in 1997. One being a libel suit and the other on an election
petition matter.[66] One was a judgment on a libel case involving MGG
Pillai and Tan Sri Vincent Tan where he refused to give what he considered to
be an astronomical award. The other judgment was in an election petition on
Bukit Bangunan in the Sri Aman Division that he ruled in favour of
Independent candidate Donald Lawan against Barisan Nasional candidate Mong
Dagang. He also claimed that he and selected judges were sent to a boot camp
to ensure they got the message.[67] However, Mahathir has sinced rebuked Justice Ian
Chin's allegations in his blog. [2] A retired Federal Court judge,
Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin has alleged that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had wanted
to amend Article 121 of the Federal Constitution because he wanted the
judiciary to be under his control. He mentioned that Dr Mahathir’s agenda was
tied to the Umno 11 case involving then Umno vice-president Tengku Razaleigh
Hamzah whose supporters had challenged his post as Umno president.[68] [edit] 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.[69] On 14 May 2007, Mahathir was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Langkawi after
suffering from breathing difficulties at 1600 (MST). The former premier's condition was
reported to be stable.[70] Mahathir, 82, underwent a
second heart bypass on 4 September 2007 in a specialist cardiac
hospital in Kuala Lumpur Sunday.[71] He is recovering in the intensive
care unit and was already conscious National Hearth Institute where he
was operated by a team of surgeons, including a US specialist.[72] On 23 September 2007, Mahathir
Mohamad, underwent further surgery at the National Heart Institute due to an
infection of the surgical wound in his chest.[73] 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.[74] [edit] 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 Modernisation).[3] Since his resignation, there
are signs that his influence is on the wane, notably the cancellation of a
Mahathir-approved double tracking rail project on grounds of cost. 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. [edit] Mahathirism
Main article: Mahathirism [edit] References
[edit] Books
[edit] Notes and
references
[edit] Other references
[edit] External links
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