Former Malaysian leader Mahathir turns 100
A towering figure in Malaysian politics, Mahathir is known for his transformative and at times controversial leadership. First serving as the nation's fourth prime minister from 1981 to 2003, and then returning as its seventh from 2018 to 2020, Mahathir has been the country's longest-serving and oldest-serving prime minister.
Despite the weight of the century mark, Mahathir remains remarkably active. After birthday wishes from his family, he turned up early for work at his Putrajaya office in his signature safari suit.
"I'd like to thank all those who sent cakes, flowers, letters and for turning up to wish me a happy 100th birthday. To be 100 is quite frightening," he said in a special live podcast to mark the occasion.
During the podcast, Mahathir also reflected on key moments in Malaysia's history, voiced solidarity with the Palestinian people and spoke about the rise of China.
Mahathir, who previously attributed his longevity to neither smoking nor overeating and exercising his brain, also offered personal insights on aging. Although he has a history of heart disease, including two bypass surgeries, Mahathir said staying mentally and physically active has kept him going.
"I have always been active. I cannot understand people wanting to rest. I mean, you take a holiday, you do something, you go on a holiday that is doing something. But some people retire, and they want to rest. What is the meaning of rest? You do nothing?" he said.
"So long as I can function, I want to function. I want to behave almost as if I am not getting old. I try to live the same life that I lived when I was younger. I work, I come to the office, I attend functions and all that. And I think being active is what keeps me alive," he added.
Mahathir acknowledged he was fortunate not to have been struck by any fatal diseases.
"I didn't make an effort to live this long but I look after my health," he said, describing his milestone birthday as just a "normal day."
During his first 22-year term, Malaysia transformed into a modern economy, but Mahathir used stifling political control to hold power and silence dissent. He came out of retirement to challenge his former party over a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal, forming an alliance with old foes that produced a 2018 election victory hailed as a triumph for democracy.
When he returned to power at age 92, he was hailed as a hero who ousted a corrupt government and led Malaysia's first opposition victory since independence from Britain in 1957. But that aura wore off.
His government collapsed during infighting after just 22 months and in opposition Mahathir became a divisive voice advocating Malay supremacy, working with an Islamist party he had long denounced.
After his birthday podcast, Mahathir met more well-wishers at his office. While there was no grand celebration, staff brought out a small cake and sang a birthday song, his aide Sufi Yusoff said.
True to form, Mahathir ended the moment with his trademark discipline: "OK, back to work!"
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 93 Palestinians, including several families
Hossam Azzam holds the body of his child, Amir, who was killed in an Israeli military airstrike on Gaza, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) By WAFAA SHURAFA Israeli strikes overnight and into Tuesday killed more than 90 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, including dozens of women and children, health officials said. One strike in the northern Shati refugee camp killed a 68-year-old Hamas member of the Palestinian legislature, as well as a man and a woman and their six children who were sheltering in the same building, according to officials from Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. One of the deadliest strikes hit a house in Gaza City's Tel al-Hawa district on Monday evening and killed 19 members of the family living inside, according to Shifa Hospital. The dead included eight women and six children. A strike on a tent housing displaced people in the same district killed a man and a woman and their two children. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes. Gaza's Health Ministry said in a daily report Tuesday afternoon that the bodies of 93 people killed by Israeli strikes had been brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, along with 278 wounded. It did not specify the total number of women and children among the dead. The Hamas politician killed in a strike early Tuesday, Mohammed Faraj al-Ghoul, was a member of the bloc of representatives from the group that won seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council in the last election held among Palestinians, in 2006. Hamas won a majority in the vote, but relations with the main Fatah faction that had long led the Palestinian Authority unraveled and ended with Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip in 2007. The legislative council has not formally convened since. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. But daily, it hits homes and shelters where people are living without warning or explanation of the target. The latest attacks came after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held two days of talks last week that ended with no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release. Israel has killed more than 58,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 139,000 others in its retaliation campaign since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Just over half the dead are women and children, according to the ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its tally. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, is led by medical professionals. Its count, based on daily reports from hospitals, is considered by the United Nations and other experts to be the most reliable. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after its attack 20 month ago, in which militants stormed into southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, and the militants are still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive. Israel's air and ground campaign has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and driven some 90% of the population from their homes. Aid groups say they have struggled to bring in food and other assistance because of Israeli military restrictions and the breakdown of law and order, and experts have warned of famine. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Diplomat
7 hours ago
- The Diplomat
Trump Is Reshaping Southeast Asia's Future. Does He Realize That?
Trump and his team appear to pay little attention to the region, but whether by accident or design his policies are fundamentally altering Southeast Asia's trajectory. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with the press in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 10, 2025, on the sidelines of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was handed an unenviable task on his visit to Malaysia for ASEAN meetings last week. He needed to signal U.S. commitment to the region at the same time President Donald Trump was releasing tariff decisions on social media. Despite claiming that many ASEAN countries would receive better tariffs than other parts of the world, Rubio was handed a diplomatic rebuke by ASEAN foreign ministers, who declared that unilateral tariffs are counterproductive and 'pose complex challenges to ASEAN's economic stability and growth.' The awkward timing around Rubio's visit perhaps reflects a deeper problem: Trump and his team appear to pay little attention to the region. When it comes to global affairs, the Middle East, Ukraine, and trade with China have occupied much of their focus. Likewise, Trump's Cabinet has had only limited engagement with the region to date. In addition to Rubio's visit, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has visited Singapore and the Philippines. When U.S. officials do visit Southeast Asia, they've rolled out talking points about U.S. commitment to the Indo-Pacific that have done little to reassure regional countries struggling to deal with U.S. unpredictability. Despite the apparent disinterest in the region, whether by design or accident the Trump administration is making decisions that are fundamentally altering Southeast Asia's future. The question for ASEAN member states is whether they will take steps individually and collectively to avert the worst possible future. Trump is exacerbating divisions within ASEAN. Unity in the bloc has always been paper thin. It has struggled to deal with difficult issues like the South China Sea or the conflict in Myanmar. As current ASEAN chair, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called on member states to take a coordinated approach to negotiating U.S. tariffs. The opposite has happened as each country has tried to strike its own deal with the United States. Vietnam was first out of the blocks, with others continuing bilateral talks. The United States has also widened existing differences within the bloc on how to engage China by doubling down support for its close partners and alienating others. The delicate dance that ASEAN member states do as they hedge between the U.S. and China is becoming trickier. Hegseth was vocal in his support for the Philippines, talking about an 'ironclad' alliance in the face of China's aggression in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, higher U.S. tariffs appear to be targeted at countries that are seen as leaning toward China: Laos (40 percent), Cambodia (36 percent), and Thailand (36 percent) have been hardest hit. If the main game for the U.S. is to compete with China, it's unclear why it is imposing hefty tariffs that will push regional countries closer to it. The Trump administration isn't just exacerbating regional divisions, it is altering the economic outlook. Tariff decisions will amplify and accelerate long-term economic trends, creating winners and losers. Take Indonesia. President Prabowo Subianto's 8 percent growth target is as distant as ever and even 5 percent growth seems challenging. The rupiah has weakened, the stock market has backed away from the highs of last year and the middle class is under pressure. Trump's 32 percent tariff will further weaken Indonesia's outlook. Growth will take a hit and foreign investors may look at other markets that received better tariff rates. If these trends hold long-term, Indonesia will struggle to achieve its goal of becoming a middle income country by 2045. In contrast, the strong economic outlook for Vietnam and the Philippines will be bolstered by their tariffs of 20 percent, the lowest rates in ASEAN. The tariff on Vietnam (which rises to 40 percent for transshipped goods) is likely to put a dint in its 6 percent-plus forecast growth in 2025. However, foreign investment should hold up as the tariff rate maintains Vietnam's attractiveness relative to other ASEAN economies. Likewise, forecasted growth of over 6 percent in the Philippines is likely to take a hit. As with Vietnam, the impact will be temporary and the 20 percent tariff rate will likewise strengthen its attractiveness to foreign investors relative to ASEAN peers. If these trends hold, Trump may help Vietnam and the Philippines escape the middle income trap while Indonesia becomes increasingly stuck. Nothing is ever set in stone with Trump. He's flagged yet another deadline of August 1 before the tariffs come into effect, so countries still have a chance to negotiate better deals. Of course, Southeast Asian countries have agency and are not completely beholden to Trump's whims. Individually they can choose to undertake structural reforms, adjust their growth model, and diversify trading partners. Collectively, there's room to rethink ASEAN's norms and procedures. But all these changes take time and political will. There will also be plenty of twists and turns to come, as we are not even a year into Trump's presidency. But if existing trends continue, the long-term impact will be a region that is more divided politically and economically.
Asahi Shimbun
21 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Australia hosts military drills with U.S. and other nations, likely to draw Chinese surveillance
South Korean soldiers pose for a photo dduring Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, Australia's largest-ever war fighting drills at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, near Rockhampton, Australia, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo) MELBOURNE--The largest-ever war-fighting drills in Australia, Exercise Talisman Sabre, are underway and expected to attract the attention of Chinese spy ships. Australia launched missiles from its M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS, on Monday during live-fire exercises at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, a 4,500 square kilometer (1,700 square mile) Outback expanse in Queensland state. The HIMARS launchers were recently bought from the United States. 'Today was the first time the Australian Army has live-fired our long-range, multi-domain platforms being the HIMARS, so it is a remarkable day,' Brig. Nick Wilson told reporters. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States and Australia. This year, more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, including Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom, will take part over three weeks, Australia's defense department said. Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers. The exercise will also take place in Papua New Guinea, Australia's nearest neighbor. It is the first time Talisman Sabre activities have been held outside Australia. Chinese surveillance ships have monitored naval exercises off the Australian coast during the last four Talisman Sabre exercises and were expected to surveil the current exercise, Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said. 'The Chinese military have observed these exercises since 2017. It'd be very unusual for them not to observe it,' Conroy said. 'We'll adjust accordingly. We'll obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence around Australia, but we'll also adjust how we conduct those exercises,' Conroy added. Conroy said the Chinese were not yet shadowing ships as of Sunday. The exercise officially started on Sunday with a ceremony in Sydney attended by Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific Lt. Gen. J.B. Vowell and Australia's Chief of Joint Operations Vice-Adm. Justin Jones. The exercise, showcasing Australia's defense alliance with the United States, started a day after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began a six-day visit to China, where he is expected to hold his fourth face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday. Albanese said Chinese surveillance of Talisman Sabre would not be an issue raised with Xi. 'That would be nothing unusual. That has happened in the past and I'll continue to assert Australia's national interest, as I do,' Albanese told reporters in Shanghai Monday. Albanese also noted that while he had visited the United States as prime minister five times, he had only been to China twice. The Australian leader has been criticized at home for failing to secure a face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. 'I look forward to a constructive engagement with President Trump. We have had three constructive phone conversations,' Albanese said.
