At 92, he transcended his own creation. The architect of the UMNO-Barisan Nasional hegemony, which ruled for six decades post-independence, became the figurehead of the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition.
Overnight, the narrative shifted: Mahathir the autocratic leader was reborn as Mahathir the democratic saviour, toppling the corruption-ridden regime of Najib Razak.
This remarkable feat relied on a national focus fixated on the immediate triumph over graft, allowing the more contentious chapters of his own past to fade into the background.
A WISE ELDER CRITIQUING DONALD TRUMP
Now, with Donald Trump presiding with his distinct brand of authority, there is a profound, almost paradoxical, power in a centenarian former strongman issuing warnings about the trajectory of Western democracy.
Dr Mahathir’s pointed critiques of Mr Trump – focusing on the flouting of international conventions, the overt politicisation of institutions, and the destabilising nature of such leadership – land with amplified resonance precisely because of his own history.
