A century of vision: The legacy of Mahathir Mohamad
Mahmuda Begum Sinthia :
The whole world witnessed a momentous historic event when the former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the nation’s longest-serving prime minister, turned 100 years old. His 100-year life is a doorway to unflinching public service, visionary leadership, and a relentless pursuit of national progress.
Widely his century-long journey is an unwavering relentless pursuit of national progress. The nurturing environment instilled in him a strong sense of discipline, a passion for learning, and a deep social conscience, and all enlightened qualities that would later define his political path.
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s leadership as Malaysia’s Prime Minister, spanning from 1981 to 2003 and briefly again from 2018 to 2020, marks a transformative era in the nation’s development. His tenure is distinguished by ambitious economic policies, infrastructural modernization, political consolidation, and visionary national goals that reshaped Malaysia from a primarily agricultural society into a vibrant industrialized economy.
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s national development efforts as Malaysia’s Prime Minister are traced out during his first tenure from 1981 to 2003, with some key highlights from his second tenure starting in 2018, relying on BBC News and WION.
Tun Mahathir assumed office on 16 July 1981, becoming Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister and the longest-serving in the country’s history. He began implementing structural reforms to reduce the public sector’s dominance, cutting development spending and promoting private sector-led growth. In Mid-1980 period, privatization of key industries such as telecommunications, utilities, and airlines; civil service was trimmed.
Look East Policy introduced in 1982 to emulate Japan and South Korea’s development models. In 1982, Mahathir standardized Malaysia’s time zone by moving Peninsular Malaysia’s clock forward by 30 minutes to align with East Malaysia and regional neighbors, facilitating economic synchronization with key Asian markets. His initial agenda focused on administrative reform and economic restructuring.