Whip-sharp and typically acerbic, he still walks unaided at 99 years old. Just last year, he was filmed gleefully tearing around a Formula One racetrack in an Audi SUV. Not bad for a nonagenarian who, in a little over two months, will hit a century.
Still, he isn’t taking any of it for granted. “I am not yet 100, I don’t know if I will reach 100. ” Mahathir told This Week in Asia, with characteristic candour. “Nothing is certain.”
For Malaysians, Mahathir’s presence has been one of the few constants in a shifting political landscape, his continued presence acting as a barometer of time and shared history. Prime ministers come and go, but Mahathir – Malaysia’s most famous politician – is always there, ready to offer a scolding or chide rivals. Even now, their names still provoke an animated response, despite his advancing years.
As the joke goes, in coffee shops and chat groups alike: “We’ll all die one day, and Mahathir will attend our funeral.”
Another running gag among Malaysians is comparing things younger than Dr M, as he is fondly known. Superman? Created in 1938. Sliced bread? Invented in 1928.
