Mahathir Muhammad, who entered active politics in 1964 from the National Malay Union Party, Malaysia's largest political formation, became the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1981 and began to take steps that would rapidly change and transform the country.
The Malaysian economy was growing day by day, and the level of welfare in the country was visibly rising. Despite this successful administration, Mahathir Muhammad was accused of "authoritarianism" because he arrested many activists and clerics, especially since the second half of the 80s, and even dismissed some high-ranking judges who opposed these arrests.
He resigned on October 31, 2003, leaving his seat to Abdullah Bedevi, due to his statement against the American occupation of Iraq in 2003, some of the expressions he used towards the Jews in the same period, and the influence of political pressure rising from within, and completed his 22-year adventure as prime minister.
Mahathir bin Mohamad (born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the fourth and seventh prime minister of Malaysia. He held office from 1981 to 2003 and later from 2018 to 2020 for a cumulative total of 24 years, making him the country's longest-serving prime minister. Before becoming premier, he served as deputy prime minister and in other cabinet positions. He was a member of Parliament for Langkawi from 2018 to 2022, Kubang Pasu from 1974 to 2004, and Kota Star Selatan from 1964 to 1969. His political career spanned more than 75 years, from joining protests opposing citizenship policies for non-Malays in the Malayan Union in the 1940s to forming the Gerakan Tanah Air coalition in 2022.
Mahathir Muhammad was born on 20 December 1925 in Kedah, one of the northern states of Malaysia. Muhammed, who spent his childhood and early youth in the region where he was born, went to the University of Malaya in Singapore after graduating from Sultan Abdul Hamid College. After completing his medical education here, he started working as a doctor in the state staff. Muhammed, who worked as a military doctor until 1957, established a private clinic and continued his professional life there.
Mahathir Muhammad served as a military doctor until 1957.
In 1964, he entered active politics from the National Malay Union Party, Malaysia's largest political formation and the largest coalition partner of the period, and became a member of parliament for the first time. After 5 years of being a deputy, he had a disagreement with the then Prime Minister Abdul Rahman and was expelled from the party.
Mahathir Muhammad argued that while the Malays, who constitute the majority of the country, lived in poverty, the minority Chinese controlled the economy and that policies on Malay nationalism should be developed in order to change this situation. His book "The Malay Dilemma", in which he wrote these ideas, was banned. A year later, with the resignation of Abdul Rahman, he returned to his party and ensured that his ideas were embodied in the "New Economic Model" declared by the government in 1971.
This situation accelerated Muhammad's political rise. Two years after joining the party administration in 1972, he re-entered the parliament and took part in the cabinet as the minister of education. His successful policies in the field of education soon brought him the position of deputy prime minister. His influence was now felt in Malaysian politics and it was rumored that he would soon take over the country.
Finally, Mohammed, who became the chairman of the National Malay Union Party in 1981, became the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia after the elections held in July of the same year and began to take steps that would rapidly change and transform the country.
After the ease in the economy, this time he started to work on establishing dialogue between the ethnic groups in the country and served as a bridge between these groups. The Malaysian economy was growing day by day, and the level of welfare in the country was visibly rising.
Despite this successful administration, Mahathir Muhammad could not avoid being a controversial leader. Especially since the second half of the 80s, he was accused of "authoritarianism". One of the biggest reasons for this was the "Internal Security Law" implemented in 1987.
With the power he received from the law, he had 4 newspapers closed and many activists and clergy arrested. He even dismissed some senior judges who opposed these arrests, and as a result of all this, he began to experience tensions in his relations with the West.
When the economic growth experienced in the country between 1988 and 1996 began to lose its effect, he became a widely discussed name.
The economic crisis that broke out in 1997 caused a rift with his deputy and finance minister, Enver Ibrahim. This dispute, which started over economic policy, led to Ibrahim's arrest and even imprisonment. Although this situation caused groups against Muhammad to take to the streets and large-scale protests to be organized, he managed to retain his seat.
After the terrorist attacks in America on September 11, 2001, his statement that he would support global peace and the fight against terrorism improved his relations with the West a little. However, he attracted attention again with his statement against the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 and some of the expressions he used towards the Jews in the same period. With the influence of political pressure rising from within, he left his seat to Abdullah Bedevi and resigned on October 31, 2003, completing his 22-year adventure as prime minister.
After a 15-year break from active politics, 92-year-old Mahathir Muhammad achieved a great victory in the general elections held on May 9, 2018, as the leader of the alliance that entered the election under the name "People's Hope" and became entitled to sit in the prime minister's seat again. He held this position until 2020.