What birthday? Malaysia’s Mahathir celebrates turning 94 with wish to continue working
- The world’s oldest sitting prime minister has been inundated with well wishes from Malaysians and world leaders such as Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong
- But the nonagenarian only has one thing in mind – to finish his work ‘setting Malaysia on the road to recovery’
Mahathir was born on July 10, 1925 in the northern Malaysian state of Kedah. He is the world’s oldest sitting prime minister following his return to office in May 2018, making him the country’s fourth and seventh premier.
“A very happy 94th birthday to Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad today,” Lee wrote on his Facebook page, along with a photo of him and his wife Ho Ching with Mahathir and his wife Siti Hasmah during a visit to the island nation last year, when an orchid was named in their honour.
“On the 94th birthday of Tun Mahathir, we hope Allah gives him good health and he has the chance to continue serving the country,” said Pakatan Harapan leader and prime-minister-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking to Malaysian news agency Bernama, Mahathir said his late mother, Wan Tempawan Wan Hanapi, was the most influential individual in his life. “She brought me up, she taught me the way I should behave, the things I should do,” he said.
The prime minister named Nelson Mandela as the world leader who inspired him the most, citing his fight against apartheid in South Africa, as well as Peter the Great of Russia “because he changed a disorganised Russia into a world power”.
He also revealed that his favourite Malaysian singer is Siti Nurhaliza, he prefers coffee over tea, and Japan is his favourite of the countries he has visited.