He remained standing for the entire session, seemingly on steroids compared with his younger, seated colleagues, and was once again at his dry-humoured and sarcastic best. 

Whatever concerns may linger about Mahathir’s authoritarian streak and corruption allegations stemming from his previous 22-year stint as prime minister, what’s not to admire about his explosive comeback after 15 years in retirement.

He’s no superman, mind you, having undergone two bouts of coronary bypass surgery, but he keeps fit by following a simple daily regimen: no smoking, no drinking and no overeating. A bit of exercise and reading also helps, apparently.

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Let that be an inspiration to all retirees the world over. And a lesson to all ageist employers who perpetuate the fallacy that people suddenly stop functioning at full capacity upon hitting the age of 60. In fact, let it be a booster shot for anyone who is feeling old and incapable because society says so.

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Whatever the real state of his health may be, he’s running the most powerful country on the planet in his 70s. Age is really just a number.

Then there’s Tung Chee-hwa, the city’s first post-colonial leader, who stepped down in the middle of his second term as chief executive in 2005 citing health reasons. Well, at a spry 80 now, he’s still going strong as both an active elder statesman on the national level and an influential figure on the local political scene. Age is no barrier.

As the great American writer, Mark Twain, once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” 

I don’t know about you all, but I feel incredibly young these days, thanks to Mahathir and company.

 

Yonden Lhatoo is the chief news editor at the Post