Why Malaysia’s 92-year-old ex-prime minister has come out of retirement to challenge his former protege

At 92, and after surviving two coronary bypass surgeries, most people would kick back and enjoy life. 

But Mahathir Mohamad, once a defiant political strongman known as the architect of modern Malaysia, has risen from retirement to challenge his former protégé, Najib Razak, the current Malaysian Prime Minister, who he believes is running Southeast Asia’s fourth largest economy into the ground. 

A spritely Dr Mahathir, who courted several controversies of his own during his 22-year tenure as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, told The Telegraph that he could not sit idle ahead of next week’s May 9 poll with the country he helped to modernise now immersed in huge corruption scandals.  

“I have been…

To continue reading this article

Start a 30-day free trial for unlimited access to Premium articles

• Unlimited access to Premium articles 
• Subscriber-only events and experiences
• Cancel any time

Free for 30 days

then only £2 per week

Try Premium

Save 25% with an annual subscription

Just £75 per year

 

Save now

Register for free and access one Premium article per week

Register

Only subscribers have unlimited access to Premium articles.Register for free to continue reading this article
RegisterOr unlock all Premium articles.
Free for 30 days, then just £1 per week
Start trial
Save 40% when you pay annually.
View all subscription options  |
Already have an account? Login