 |
| Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad محضير بن محمد |
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the royal palace in Kuala Lumpur on the same night and he became the country's seventh prime minister.
Events, Facts and and Timeline of Mahathir Mohamad
- Born in the year 1925 in Alor Setar, the capital of the state of Kedah, British Malay.
- Father : Mohamad bin Iskandar, an Indian Muslim and a teacher by profession.
- Mother : Wan Tempawan Wan Hanapi
- Married with Siti Hasmah Ali (1956) , a fellow medical student
- Children : Maizura Mahathir, Marina Mahathir, Mazhar Mahathir, Melinda Mahathir, Mirzan Mahathir, Mokhzani Mahathir, Mukhriz Mahathir
- Education : graduated from secondary school by completing Senior Cambridge exams in December 1946 and entered the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore in 1947
Some other facts
He became the oldest world leader when he was sworn into office as Prime minister of Malaysia on May 10, 2018, 15-years after retirement. He was previously also the Prime Minister of Malaysia during a period from July 1981 to October 2003.
A Physician by profession he is also known by his nickname Dr M.
He wrote a book named The Malay Dilemma which was published in 1970, after loosing election. In his book he advocated Malay Right.
In his era Malaysia has become a major trading and economic force in the region.
Timeline
- 1946 - joined the United Malays National Organization (UMNO)
- 1964 - elected to Parliament for the first time
- 1969 - lost in election and suspended from the UMNO
- 1972 - returned back to UMNO
- 1973 - appointed as a Senator in the Parliament
- 1974 - elected as Education Minister
- 1976 - became the Deputy Prime Minister
- 1981 - in July elected as the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia and kept additional charges to Home Ministry and Law & Justice
- 1989 - in January had heart bypass surgery
- 1998 - had dismissed his deputy Anwar Ibrahim accused him of sodomy and corruption
- 2002 - announced his retirement plan
- 2003 - on the day October 16 he claimed that Jews rule the world by proxy in a 57-nation Islamic Summit which was organized in Malaysia, which was largely condemned and criticized worldwide . On 31st October he retired and elevated his deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
- 2007 - in September he had another heart bypass surgery following two consecutive heart attack in 10 months
- 2008 - in the Month of May Malaysian Government had initiated an investigation into corruption by Mahathir administration in 1980s and in 1990s. He resigned from the UMNO on May 19
- 2013 - on December 1 he had stepped down as an adviser from Petronas due to ill health
- 2016 - on March 30 resigned as Chairman of the Board from Proton Holdings, the leading Car Manufacturer of the country, which was founded by Magathir in 1983 as the sole National auto company.
- 2018 - Mahathir was chosen as prime ministerial candidate of the united oppositions . When he told that the country's interest was being suffered under the leadership of the Prime Minister Najib Razak.
- May 9, 2018 - Coalition of opposition parties under the leadership of Mahathir won 121 seats in the Parliament which was the comfortable majority to form the Government.
- May 10, 2018 - Mahathir was sworn into office as Prime Minister by the Kimg Muhammad V. the constitutional Head of Malaysia.
 |
| Mahathir after winning election |
Historic Verdict
Most of the people who follow International Politics along with people of Malaysia are quite surprised on the news that the Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition of four parties has won a simple majority. It is a earth-shattering news that the Barisan Nasional (National Front) Government that had ruled Malaysia for 61 years is now in opposition.
In addition to the rejection of the past government on issues that include the IMDB scandal, three key trends can be discerned from this elections, which was orderly and surprisingly quite on the polling day. The Malaysian electorate has become much more mature, learning to be cautious and yet hold in voting for change.
First Trend :
UNMO has traditionally depended upon the rural vote for its support and its other partners MCA (Malaysia Chinese Association), MIC (Malaysia Indian Congress) and Gerakan (People's Movement Party) are mainly to bolster the urban vote.This time Gerakan loses all seats and the other two MCA and MIC have also wiped out with no major wins.
Second Trend :
PAS, the Islamic party that focuses largely on religion, dropped three Parliamentary, but interestingly took back the East Coast State of Trengganu, so that it once again controls two states Kelatan and Trengganu. The PAS support amounted to 2.01 million or 16,88 per cent of total votes cast, an increase compared with 1.63 million votes or 14.78 per cent in 2013.What the rise of Pakatan means is that urban Malay voters had voted for change of government and improvement in economic livelihood rather than voting along religious affiliations. Non-Malay voters, on the other hand, were put off by PAS's push for hudud laws and were uncomfortable with UNMO's flirting with PAS on areas touching on religion.
Third Trend :
The new government has the opportunity to engage in generational renewal by bringing in younger leaders from more diverse backgrounds into positions of authority. Time is of the essence, as Dr Mahathir has promised to stay on as Prime Minister for two years, before passing the baton to Anwar Ibrahim (71 ). Nothing would signal more the restoration of the rule of law than the immediate release of Ibrahim from jail. |
| Mahathir's supporters in cheering mood |
Alliance of Hope
Strange things are happening in Malaysia ; strange things sometimes do. At the ripe of age of 92, the very election of Dr. Mahathir Mohammad as the world's oldest Prime Minister signifies what in judicial terminology is the rarest of the rare , in the political narrative. That development was reinforced on Friday (11th May, 2018) with yet another spin on the country's election drama when he announced plans for a royal pardon for Anwar Ibrahim - the former ally who was sacked and jailed when Mahathir was previously in power and who could now become his successor.
 |
| Jailed Anwar Ibrahim is set to release |
There is no doubt that royalty has readily concurred with his plan of action, one that reaffirms the truism that there are no permanent enemies in politics. Mahathir said
The king has indicated he is willing to pardon Anwar immdiately. We will begin the proper process of obtaining a pardon.
This means a full pardon. He should be released immediately when he is pardoned.
Malaysia today bears witness to a quirk of history, if ever there was one. Indeed , the unlikely alliance of Mahathir and Anwar has been one of the many odd aspects of the election
Final Thought
Theoretically, Mahathir's election had posited him to effect what in political science is called the
second act in politicsIf indeed Anwar Ibrahim helms the government in due course of time, Mahathir will sacrifice the chance to right the wrongs that he was responsible for.
The alliance, that Dr. Mahathir now leads, was originally formed to oppose his own autocratic rule. He has let it be known that he will assume power, - only to hand it over to a 'former apprentice' who was jailed after the two fell out and still remains behind bars.
It is difficult to fathom the intricacies of the twists and turns of Malaysia's politics. Suffice to register that the country is on the turn.
Thank you Tania !
ReplyDeleteVery informative.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much!
Delete