Mahathir Mohamad
Wikipedia ↗Chapters that mention this person or place (16)
Twelve years ago, he was expelled from UMNO; in 1981, he returned to take over the entire government
Mahathir challenged the Tunku with an open letter after May 13 and was subsequently expelled from UMNO. He returned to Alor Setar to practice medicine, and wrote *The Malay Dilemma*, which was banned domestically. Tun Razak brought him back into politics, and Hussein Onn chose him as Deputy Prime Minister; the landslide victory in 1982 gave him a national mandate in his own name for the first time.
What Were Proton and the Look East Policy?
When Malaysia decided to learn from Japan, what it wanted to learn was not just a car, but a method to become an industrialized nation
In 1985, the first Proton Saga rolled off the production line. It was proof of the nation's industrial ambitions, and also a question that remains incompletely answered today: can protection buy technology, and can national will create competitiveness?
Selling What Belongs to the Nation
The government said it wanted to exit the market, yet it became more powerful when deciding who could enter it
In 1987, Lim Kit Siang went to court, attempting to stop the North-South Expressway concession from being awarded to UEM, which had vested interests with UMNO. This lawsuit uncovered the hardest question to answer in privatization: assets can be handed over to the private sector, but to whom is the power to decide the winner given?
What Was Malaysia Co-operative Crisis?
The passbooks clearly showed money, yet over 520,000 accounts had to wait for the government to decide their actual worth
In 1986, 24 deposit-taking co-operatives were frozen, entangling about 520,000 deposit accounts and RM1.5 billion in a crisis. How did high interest rates, connected lending, and regulatory gaps turn the savings of ordinary people into promises that took years to redeem?
Did the NEP Succeed After Twenty Years?
The original timeframe of the New Economic Policy had ended — was the fate of the Malays truly transformed?
In 1990, the New Economic Policy's report card revealed two outcomes: the poverty rate plummeted significantly, but the 30 per cent equity target was not met. The real question was not simply declaring success or failure, but who changed their destinies through schools and jobs, and who gained more from licenses, shares, and concessions.
Vision 2020 and the National Development Policy —— When a Year Becomes a National Countdown
In 1991, Mahathir did not announce Vision 2020 in Parliament first, but brought it to the Malaysian Business Council. Among the nine challenges, the one placed at the very top was not skyscrapers or income, but an incomplete Bangsa Malaysia.
BNM Forex Scandal: The Money We Lost
Maminco, BNM Forex, and Perwaja —— Three Public Losses, Three Dilemmas of Accountability
Bank Negara's forex losses, the Maminco tin market intervention, and the Perwaja steel project are often lumped into the same "scandal list." This piece unpacks the accounts one by one: what was a failed investment, what was a governance failure, and what was never proven as a crime in court.
What Did the Twin Towers and Bakun Dam Represent?
When a Nation Pours Its Future into Concrete, Who Stands on the Skyline, and Who Leaves the River Valley?
The Petronas Twin Towers, KLIA, Putrajaya, and Bakun are not just a simple list of "white elephants." They emerged from real, rapid growth, while simultaneously distributing different costs to different groups of people.
Why the Four Asian Tigers Ran Further
Not the Same Starting Line, Nor a Report Card on "Who is More Hardworking"
South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia were never five runners with identical conditions. What truly deserves comparison is how export discipline, universal education, technological learning, and institutional execution determined whether factories could move from mere assembly to creation.
Indonesia Is Not a Malay-Majority Country, and Singapore Is Not Without Assistance
An Indonesian census table immediately dismantles the "Malay majority" assumption; while the Singapore Constitution and MENDAKI's classrooms dismantle the imagination of "absolutely zero assistance." What is truly worth comparing is not who relies on crutches, but what kind of help can build capability, be tested, and gradually phase out when no longer needed.
How Did the Asian Financial Crisis Hit Malaysia?
When the tide of prosperity receded, exchange rates exposed debts and the cracks between the Prime Minister and his deputy
Before the fall of the Thai baht, Anwar had transformed from a youth leader brought into UMNO by Mahathir into a designated successor with his own party machinery. As the ringgit, stock market, and corporate debts successively came under pressure, disagreements over economic directions, corporate bailouts, and succession timing became entangled, ultimately leading to Anwar's expulsion from the cabinet in September 1998.
How Did Reformasi Begin on the Night the Door Was Broken?
From a sacked deputy prime minister, to the crowds at Merdeka Square, and finally masked police officers in his home
On September 20, 1998, Anwar led supporters in Kuala Lumpur to demand reforms; that night, police stormed his home and arrested him. "Reformasi" morphed from a succession crisis into a systemic issue: the government can investigate a politician, but who oversees the investigators?
Why Did Mahathir Hand Over Power?
A withdrawn resignation, a 16-month wait, and the 22-year legacy inherited by Abdullah
On 22 June 2002, Mahathir suddenly announced his resignation from party and government posts at the end of the UMNO general assembly, prompting leaders on stage to crowd around him. The resignation was briefly withdrawn, but the succession could no longer be cancelled; 16 months later, Abdullah Badawi became the fifth Prime Minister.
Bagaimana BERSATU Ditubuhkan? Belahan Mahathir dan Muhyiddin dari UMNO
Seorang bekas perdana menteri, seorang bekas timbalan perdana menteri dan sebuah parti berteras Bumiputera berjalan masuk ke dalam gabungan Anwar serta DAP
Selepas pertikaian 1MDB, Mahathir keluar dari UMNO dan Muhyiddin dipecat; mereka menubuhkan BERSATU pada 2016. BERSATU membawa politik Bumiputera ke dalam PH yang berbilang kaum, membuka laluan ke kawasan Melayu dan serentak membawa konflik haluan masa depan ke dalam kerajaan.
Why Did the 2018 Election Change Government?
Mahathir Returns to the Forefront, Anwar Still in Prison, and the Night the 61-Year Rule Ended
On May 9, 2018, Pakatan Harapan secured a parliamentary majority, and Barisan Nasional lost federal power for the first time. Mahathir was sworn in the next day, and Anwar was subsequently pardoned; this decisive transition proved that power could be changed through the ballot box, but it did not automatically resolve the succession and trust issues between the two men.
Harapan's Twenty-Two Months: Why the First Term Was Never Stable
Old Books Opened, Undi18 Passed, Yet the Succession Date Was Never Written Down
Pakatan Harapan's first stint in power saw both reforms and delays. Parliament unanimously passed Undi18 and automatic registration, while 1MDB and Tabung Haji accounts were reinvestigated; but ICERD, the Rome Statute, Mahathir's handover to Anwar, and Bersatu's anxieties dragged the first transition government toward fracture.