For a man who never thought he would live beyond 75, Mahathir Mohamad is doing pretty well.
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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.”
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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.