‘Quite frightening’: Malaysia’s former leader Mahathir Mohamad turns 100 without slowing down

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad marked a historic milestone as he turned 100 on Thursday, calling the moment “quite frightening” without showing signs of slowing down.

A towering figure in Malaysian politics, Mahathir is known for his transformative and at times controversial leadership. First serving as the nation’s fourth prime minister from 1981 to 2003, and then returning as its seventh from 2018 to 2020, Mahathir has been the country’s longest-serving and oldest-serving prime minister.

Despite the weight of the century mark, Mahathir remains remarkably active. After birthday wishes from his family, he turned up early for work at his Putrajaya office in his signature safari suit.

“I’d like to thank all those who sent cakes, flowers, letters and for turning up to wish me a happy 100th birthday. To be 100 is quite frightening,” he said in a special live podcast to mark the occasion.

During the podcast, Mahathir also reflected on key moments in Malaysia’s history, voiced solidarity with the Palestinian people and spoke about the rise of China.

Mahathir, who previously attributed his longevity to neither smoking nor overeating and exercising his brain, also offered personal insights on aging. Although he has a history of heart disease, including two bypass surgeries, Mahathir said staying mentally and physically active has kept him going.

“I have always been active. I cannot understand people wanting to rest. I mean, you take a holiday, you do something, you go on a holiday that is doing something. But some people retire, and they want to rest. What is the meaning of rest? You do nothing?” he said.

“So long as I can function, I want to function. I want to behave almost as if I am not getting old. I try to live the same life that I lived when I was younger. I work, I come to the office, I attend functions and all that. And I think being active is what keeps me alive,” he added.

Mahathir acknowledged he was fortunate not to have been struck by any fatal diseases.

“I didnt make an effort to live this long but I look after my health,” he said, describing his milestone birthday as just a “normal day.”

During his first 22-year term, Malaysia transformed into a modern economy, but Mahathir used stifling political control to hold power and silence dissent. He came out of retirement to challenge his former party over a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal, forming an alliance with old foes that produced a 2018 election victory hailed as a triumph for democracy.

When he returned to power at age 92, he was hailed as a hero who ousted a corrupt government and led Malaysia’s first opposition victory since independence from Britain in 1957. But that aura wore off.

His government collapsed during infighting after just 22 months and in opposition Mahathir became a divisive voice advocating Malay supremacy, working with an Islamist party he had long denounced.

After his birthday podcast, Mahathir met more well-wishers at his office. While there was no grand celebration, staff brought out a small cake and sang a birthday song, his aide Sufi Yusoff said.

True to form, Mahathir ended the moment with his trademark discipline: “Ok, back to work!”