Mahathir’s son Mukhriz ‘in no rush’ to join Malaysia’s federal government, says work on Kedah state comes first

Kedah’s chief minister has a good chance of rapidly scaling the political ladder due to his pedigree, commentators say

But Mukhriz Mahathir says he has ‘tonnes’ of work left to do in Kedah, one of Malaysia’s poorest regions

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Kedah Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir. Photo: Tashny Sukumaran

Published: 9:00am, 18 Sep 2019Updated: 4:12pm, 18 Sep 2019

Malaysian political commentators say Mukhriz Mahathir has a good chance of rapidly climbing the country’s political ladder by sheer virtue of his pedigree – his 94-year-old father is the prime minister – but the Kedah state chief minister hopes “the bosses” will leave him be for now.

“People have been asking me whether I may be moving to the federal government,” Mukhriz told This Week in Asia in a recent interview. “And I keep telling all the bosses [in the ruling coalition], please give me some time to finish what I start.”

Mukhriz, the only one out of Mahathir Mohamad’s seven children involved in politics, was responding to swirling speculation that he may at some point in the current electoral term join his father’s federal government cabinet.

The 54-year-old reassumed his position after the Pakatan Harapan bloc’s stunning election victory last year that ended the Barisan Nasional coalition’s 61-year grip on power.

Both Mahathirs were once part of Barisan Nasional – the elder statesman as its leader and as a prime minister for 22 years – but crossed aisles in 2016 in their bid to oust the scandal-hit former premier Najib Razak.