Prime Minister Dato' Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad
Delegates pose with Dr Mahathir at an Organization of Islamic Conference meeting in Kuala Lumpur, 1996.
Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister (1981–2003), Dr Mahathir has been described as the ‘Father of Modern Malaysia'. He was a medical doctor. Having had a multi-racial education, he was able to empathize with the views of all sections of the people. His character was shaped by his strict upbringing by a conservative father and by his experiences during the Japanese Occupation. Under his leadership Malaysia was profoundly transformed in terms of economic development, and Dr Mahathir ably articulated its point of view in the global arena.
- Information in the full article includes
- Simple beginnings
- Fervent nationalist
- Political career
- The premiership
- Leadership challenges
- Track record