SBLE 1033 ENGLISH FOR COMMUNICATION I

TUN MAHATHIR'S BIOGRAPHY         

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. Arguably he was no ordinary leader. His ideas have always been controversial and transformational. Many called him “leader extraordinaire”. As an avid reader of a wide range of subjects, he was also passionate about science. It was during his tenure as Prime Minister that science assumed prominence in national planning. The first Science Advisor was appointed during his time. Many scientific institutions were established during his term to help drive the country’s science and innovation agenda. Even to this day, his passion for science has not withered. He remains a strong believer in the power of science and innovation in nation building.

Born on 20 Dec 1925, Tun is a son of a schoolmaster. He studied medicine at King Edward VII College in Singapore. He worked as a government medical officer for a while but left in 1957 to set up his own practice in Alor Setar. Married to a doctor, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah bt Mohd Ali, Tun Dr. Mahathir’s passion is in writing. He started writing while in school. In the 1940s and '50s, under the pen name "Che Det", he actively wrote articles on Malay politics and economic issues, which were published in The Sunday Times. He continued writing throughout his career, and one of his most famous treatises, The Malay Dilemma (1970), influenced policy and policy makers in the aftermath of the 1969 racial riots. A Doctor in the House is his memoir that was published in 2011.

It was inevitable that he eventually joined politics. He became Member of Parliament in 1964. However, he lost his seat in the subsequent General Election in 1969. Owing to his keen interest in the country’s education, he was appointed Chairman of the first Higher Education Council in 1968, Member of the Higher Education Advisory Council in 1972, Member of the University Court and University Malaya Council, and Chairman of the National University Council in 1974.

In 1981, Tun Dr. Mahathir was appointed as a president of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), one of the ruling party of Barisan Nasional. Under his leadership, the Barisan Nasional won landslide victories in the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995 and 1999 General Elections.

Dr Mahathir retired as prime minister in 2003 and was succeeded by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.  Out of office he has continued to be outspoken and has become increasingly critical of the Malaysian government. In 2008 he resigned from the UMNO in protest against his successor's leadership and the party's poor showing in the national elections; he rejoined the party after Abdullah stepped down in 2009

MAHATHIR’S ACHIEVEMENT & CONTRIBUTION

Without us realizing, there are many of Dr. Mahathir's contribution to the country that he has already achieved. For his efforts to promote the economic development of the country, Dr. Mahathir has been granted the soubriquet of Bapa Pemodenan (Father of Modernization) while his official residence, Sri Perdana, where he resided from 23 August 1983 to 18 October 1999, was turned into a museum (Galeria Sri Perdana).During his administration, Dr. Mahathir was considered to be one of Asia’s most influential leaders. He is also noted in the Western world as an outspoken critic of Western-style. Then, “Mahathirism” is a pejorative term used by Malaysians to describe the policies and methods used by Dr Mahathir to maintain his political power. Mahathirism has been critically defined as a “Machiavellian ploy to exploit race and religion for financial gain and power.” During this period, Dr. Mahathir embarked on various large scale national projects, such as:

i. The North-South Highway, which has cut transport times in half on the west coast of Malaysia;

ii. The Multimedia Super Corridor, a flagship project based on Silicon Valley designed to enable Malaysia’s foray into Information Technology (it includes Malaysia’s new administrative capital Putrajaya,

iii. Port of Tanjung Pelepas

iv. The glittering Kuala Lumpur Internatinal Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, and an adjacent Formula One circuit;

v. The Bakun Dam, meant to supply all of the electricity needs of the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak and which has enough capacity to enable exportation of power to Brunei. The project has since run into various difficulties and controversies, leading to at first, its cancellation and then its revival as a greatly scaled down project.

vi. Olympic-class stadium in Bukit Jalil; and;

vii. The Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, and the world’s tallest building from 1997 to 2003. (Even there’d been debate roses of which should be the tallest building, whether The Petronas Twin Towers or Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower). That have become symbolic of modern Malaysia.

In 2003, President Vladimir Putin of Russia bestowed the “Orden Drusby” (Order of Friendship), the highest state award of Russia, on Dr. Mahathir for his effort in strengthening bilateral relations. Other than that, his book Selected Letters to World Leaders was voted the most popular book under the non-fiction category in the Popular-The Star Readers’ Choice Awards. Last but not least, Dr. Mahathir was conferred “Tokoh Takaful Award” at the Malaysian Takaful Association inaugural Dinner and Awards Nite 2009 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Takaful (Islamic based Insurance policy) industry.

The Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, and the world’s tallest building from 1997 to 2003.

The glittering Kuala Lumpur Internatinal Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, and an adjacent Formula One circuit

The Multimedia Super Corridor, a flagship project based on Silicon Valley designed to enable Malaysia’s foray into Information Technology (it includes Malaysia’s new administrative capital Putrajaya

During the Dr Mahathir’s long years of leadership, he has received numerous awards of achievement as shown in the table below:

YEAR	NAME OF AWARD	STATE
2003	S.M.N Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara	Malaysia
2003	D.K Darjah Kerabat Yang Amat Dihormati Selangor	Selangor
2003	D.S.B.S. Darjah Satria Bintang Sarawak	Sarawak,Malaysia
2003	D.K. The Most Honourable Order Of The Royal Family Of Kedah	Kedah,Malaysia
2002	D.K. The Most Esteemed Order Of The Royal Family Of Kelantan	Kelantan,Malaysia
1997	Tuanku Syed Putra Of Perlis Royal Outstanding Award	Perlis,Malaysia
1997	S.S.A.P. Knight Commander Of The Sultan Ahmad Shah	Pahang,Malaysia
1996	Fellowship of The International College of Surgeons	Malaysia
1996	Anugerah Cemerlang	Perlis,Malaysia
1995	D.K. The Most Esteemed Order Of The Royal Family Of Tuanku Syed Putra	Perlis,Malaysia
1994	Wira Keadilan	Pasir Mas Foundation
1992	Melaka Historical City's Honorary Citizen Award	Melaka
1991	Wira Nusa Raya	UMNO,Sabah
1989	D.K.(I) The Most Esteemed Order Of The Royal Family Of Johor	Johor,Malaysia
1988	D.U.K. Kedah Order Of Merit	Kedah,Malaysia
1985	'FAR', Father of Modern Development By the Pasir Salak UMNO Division	Pasir Salak
1985	P.I.S Sultan Ibrahim Medal I	Johor,Malaysia
1982	D.U.N.M Knight Grand Commander Of The Most Honourable Order Of Melaka	Melaka,Malaysia
1982	S.S.M.T Seri Setia Sultan Mahmud Terengganu	Terengganu
1982	D.K.N.S The Most Esteemed Order Of The Royal Family Of Negeri Sembilan	Negeri Sembilan,Malaysia
1981	D.U.P.N Knight Grand Commander Of The Most Honourable Order Of Pulau Pinang	Pulau Pinang,Malaysia
1981	S.P.N.S Knight Commander Of The Most Honourable Order Of Negeri Sembilan	Negeri Sembilan,Malaysia
1981	S.P.D.K Seri Panglima Darjah Kinabalu	Sabah,Malaysia
1981	S.P.C.M Seri Paduka Cura Si Manja Kini	Perak,Malaysia
1980	D.P.Sarawak Dato Patinggi Bintang Kenyalang	Sarawak,Malaysia
1979	S.P.M.J. Dato' Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor	Johor,Malaysia
1978	S.P.M.S.  Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor	Selangor,Malaysia
1977	D.S.D.K. Seri Setia DiRaja Kedah, Kedah	Kedah,Malaysia
1977	SSAP	Pahang,Malaysia
1976	The Second Tun(Dr) Ismail Oration Academy of Medical	Malaysia
1965	Pingat Perak	Perak,Malaysia

Conclusions

“Di Mana akan Ku Cari Ganti?” translated as “Where Can We Find Replacement?” the song that was frequently aired on the local television and radio when Dr Mahathir stepped down as Prime Minister in 2003.  Malaysians has lost a genuine leader who has the heart of the people (‘pemimpin berjiwa rakyat’) who held the post of Prime Minister for more that two decades.  His contributions to Malaysia cannot be tabulated on a paper, nor can it described in words because they are numerous and valuable. All the people of Malaysia are equally benefited from his political and economic policies that he has initiated for the country.  Dr Mahathir has valuable spirits that should we younger generations should be modeled and remembered by  Malaysians.