/guid/9202a8c04000641f8000000000197597 rename

Tun Mahathir bin Mohamad (pronounced [maˈhatir bin moˈhamat̚]; born July 10, 1925) is a retired...

Tun Mahathir bin Mohamad (pronounced [maˈhatir bin moˈhamat̚]; born July 10, 1925) is a retired Malaysian political figure. He was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, making him Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister, and one of the longest-serving leaders in Asia. During his term in office, he was credited for engineering Malaysia's rapid modernisation. Mahathir is also known for his criticisms towards western and developed countries. During his administration, he was considered to be one of Asia's most influential leaders. Mahathir is also noted in the Western world as an outspoken critic of Western-style globalization. Mahathir was born in Alor Setar, Kedah, the youngest of nine children of a schoolteacher and a housewife. His father, Mohamad Iskandar, was of Indian origin, being the son of a Malayalee Muslim (who migrated from Kerala) and a Malay mother, while Mahathir's own mother, Wan Tampawan, was Malay. During World War II, he sold pisang goreng (banana fritters) and other snacks to supplement his family income during the Japanese occupation of Malaya. Mahathir attended a Malay vernacular school before continuing his