Today, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad turns 100.
A hundred years of life. It’s not just a personal milestone—it’s a moment for all Malaysians to reflect on a man who, whether we like it or not, has shaped our nation more than any other individual since independence. He is, undeniably, the most consequential Malaysian of our modern era.
I’ve had my disagreements with Tun. Some sharp, some philosophical. And yet, I have also felt deep admiration. While he was never perfect, and downright wrong so many times - he was never small. And in leadership, that matters.
In his first tenure as Prime Minister, Malaysia leapt into modernity. The economy boomed. Industrialisation took hold. We walked with confidence into the world.
For the first time, Malaysians felt that we were in capable hands—a chief executive who could stand up to world powers, who could envision a Malaysian Century. That sense of security, of being led by someone who truly knew where we were going, is something many of us still remember fondly.
But let us not look back through rose-tinted glasses.
That same era of growth also saw grave costs. Our judiciary—once independent and proud—was savaged. The civil service, which had once served as a professional, merit-based institution, was bent to the will of the executive. Independence was replaced with obedience. Race and religion, once sensitive but navigated with care, became tools—sometimes blunt, sometimes sharp—used to secure and maintain political control.
We must be honest about this. The seeds of division we struggle with today were planted during that time. Many of the systemic weaknesses that plague us now—polarisation, loss of trust in institutions, the erosion of professional governance—took root during Tun’s long first tenure.
These were not accidents. They were choices, made in the name of political survival or national unity, depending on who you ask.
And yet—despite it all—he remains a figure I respect. Not for what he got wrong, but for what he dared to do.
Because here’s the paradox: he could have retired a legend after his first term. But instead, at 93, he came back—not for wealth or comfort, but to try and fix what he himself had helped break.
That takes a kind of audacity only Mahathir could possess. Was it too little, too late? Perhaps. But the attempt matters. The willingness to face the consequences of one’s legacy is rare in politics.
I have said this many times—I am an Indian Malaysian. My community has suffered decades of neglect. The plantation workers who built this economy were never properly recognised, let alone rewarded.
Under Tun, they were not given the platform or justice they deserved. This pain remains. And yet, I can still appreciate the nation-building vision he carried. He was capable of great inclusion—but also, at times, of cold exclusion. Both truths can live side by side.
History will judge him in full, as it should. But on this day—his 100th birthday—let us not be petty. Let us not rewrite facts. Let us also not deify. Let us see him as he was: a giant of a man, brilliant and flawed, whose shadow still looms large over Malaysia.
Happy 100th birthday, Tun. May your century remind us not only of what is possible, but also of what must never be repeated.
And may the next generation of leaders carry both the lessons of your successes—and the warnings of your failures. - July 10, 2025
Datuk Dr Vinod Sekhar is the publisher of the Vibes and Chairman of the Petra Group
