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176-468: UMNO (1964–2016) BERSATU (2016–2020) PEJUANG (2020–2023) PUTRA (2023–present) Alliance Party (1964–1974) Barisan Nasional (1974–2016) Pakatan Harapan (2017–2020) Gerakan Tanah Air (2022–2023) [REDACTED] Mahathir bin Mohamad ( Jawi : محاضر بن محمد ; IPA: [mahaðɪ(r) bɪn mohamad] ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and doctor who served as

352-615: A National Operations Council (NOC) led by Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak of UMNO, taking over the government. Further polling in East Malaysia as a continuation of the general election was also postponed indefinitely. Although the Cabinet still met under the Tunku as Prime Minister, his role was largely symbolic, with Tun Razak taking over the role of chief executive. UMNO backbencher Mahathir Mohamad , who had lost his Parliamentary seat in

528-504: A " Malaysian Malaysia ", duplicating the effort introduced earlier by Dato' Onn Ja'afar. On 7 August 1965, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, seeing no alternative to avoid further bloodshed, advised the Parliament of Malaysia that it should vote to expel Singapore from Malaysia. Despite last-ditch attempts by PAP leaders, including Lee Kuan Yew, to keep Singapore as a state in the union, the Parliament on 9 August 1965 voted 126–0 in favour of

704-552: A balance had to be achieved between government support for Malays, so that their economic interests would not be dominated by the Chinese, and exposing Malays to sufficient competition. Mahathir saw Malays as typically avoiding hard work and failing to "appreciate the real value of money and property", and hoped this balance would rectify this. Mahathir criticised Tunku's government in the book, which led to it being banned in Malaysia. The ban

880-524: A base for Chinese chauvinists to threaten Malayan sovereignty. To balance out the ethnic composition of the new nation, the other states, whose Malay and indigenous populations would balance out the Singaporean Chinese majority, were also included. After much negotiation, a constitution was hammered out with some minor changes. For instance, the Malay privileges were now made available to all " Bumiputra ",

1056-445: A campaign characterising this as a violation of the social contract and constitution . At UMNO's general assembly in 2002, he announced that he would resign as prime minister, only for supporters to rush to the stage and convince him tearfully to remain. He subsequently fixed his retirement for October 2003, giving him time to ensure an orderly and uncontroversial transition to his anointed successor, Abdullah Badawi. On 29 October 2003,

1232-580: A career in medicine, becoming a physician. His involvement in politics began when he joined the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysia's leading political party advocating Malay interests. His dedication to the party led him to enter the parliament of Malaysia in the 1964 general election , where he served one term before losing his seat. His relationship with the then-Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman , deteriorated, leading to his expulsion from UMNO. During his time outside

1408-478: A commission to the region which approved the merger after having delayed the date of Malaysia's formation to investigate. Despite further protests from the Indonesian President, Sukarno , the formation of Malaysia was proclaimed on 16 September 1963. Indonesia then declared a " confrontation " with Malaysia, sending commandos to perform guerilla attacks in East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak). The confrontation

1584-455: A constitutional monarchy, the proposed constitution also contained provisions protecting special rights for the Malays, such as quotas in admission to higher education and the civil service, and making Islam the official religion of the federation. It also made Malay the official language of the nation, although the right to vernacular education in Chinese and Tamil would be protected. Although

1760-616: A crushing blow to the IMP. After several other successes in local council elections, the coalition was formalised as an "Alliance" in 1954. In 1954, state elections were held. In these elections, the Alliance won 226 of the 268 seats nationwide. In the same year, a Federal Legislative Council was formed, comprising 100 seats. 52 would be elected, and the rest would be appointed by the British High Commissioner. The Alliance demanded that 60 of

1936-463: A dinner with 600 members of the Bar and leaders from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition, Abdullah acknowledged the impact of the crisis: To a large extent, the events of 1988 have fueled much of the disagreement on how to move on. ... I can say with a clear conscience that I abided and will continue to abide by the principle of separation of powers, leaving the matter of justice to the judiciary. And yet

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2112-530: A farmer." In January 2018, Mahathir (by then leader of Pakatan Harapan after leaving UMNO) denied responsibility for removing Tun Salleh Abas, insisting this was done under instructions from the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Iskandar of Johor . The former Prime Minister said he was prepared to swear on the Quran that his name had been used by the Attorney-General then, Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman, in order to distance

2288-470: A group comprising the Malays and other indigenous peoples of Malaysia. However, the new states were also granted some autonomy unavailable to the original nine states of Malaya. After negotiations in July 1963, it was agreed that Malaysia would come into being on 31 August 1963, consisting of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. Brunei ultimately decided to opt out of the federation due in part to an armed revolt by

2464-422: A head when Mahathir Mohamad , who believed in the supremacy of the executive and legislative branches, became Prime Minister . Since 1988, there have been regular calls for an official review of the government's actions throughout the crisis. In 2008, newly appointed de facto Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim said the government had to make an open apology to the sacked judges, calling the government's actions during

2640-421: A leading Anwar supporter, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi , criticised the government for not doing enough to combat corruption and cronyism . As Mahathir took the reins of Malaysia's economic policy over the coming months, Anwar was increasingly sidelined. On 2 September, he was dismissed as deputy prime minister and finance minister and promptly expelled from UMNO. No immediate reasons were given for the dismissal. However,

2816-412: A local coach criticised his decision, Iskandar ordered him to his palace and beat him. The federal parliament unanimously censured Iskandar, and Mahathir took the opportunity to remove the constitutional immunity of the sultans from civil and criminal suits. The press backed Mahathir and, in an unprecedented development, started airing allegations of misconduct by members of Malaysia's royal families. As

2992-579: A narrow margin, receiving the votes of 761 party delegates to Razaleigh's 718. Ghafar defeated Musa by a slightly larger margin. Mahathir responded by purging seven Team B supporters from his ministry. At the same time, Team B refused to accept defeat and initiated litigation. In an unexpected decision in February 1988, the High Courts ruled that UMNO was an illegal organisation as some of its branches had not been lawfully registered. Each faction raced to register

3168-558: A new party under the UMNO name. Mahathir's side successfully registered the name "UMNO Baru" ("new UMNO"), while Team B's application to register "UMNO Malaysia" was rejected. Nevertheless, UMNO Malaysia registered the party as Semangat 46 instead under Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's leadership. The Lord President of the Supreme Court , Salleh Abas , sent a letter of protest to the Agong, which criticised

3344-512: A passage into the Parliament . Eventually, the order was presented to the tribunal chairman. Soon after, the five judges were suspended. The judges were Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin, Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdoolcader , Tan Sri Wan Hamzah Mohamed Salleh, Tan Sri Wan Suleiman Pawanteh and Datuk George Seah. This effectively suspended the Supreme Court, and made it so that the challenge toward the legality of

3520-529: A platform of opposing Chief Minister Abdul Rahman Ya'kub 's pro-Malay policies, charging them with alienating the rural indigenous natives of Sarawak, such as the Iban . SNAP had been expelled from the Alliance in 1965 for supporting increased autonomy for Sarawak. In the aftermath of the election, Abdul Rahman ordered the detention of James Wong under the Sedition Act. SNAP elected a new leader, Leo Moggie , who secured

3696-406: A series of bold infrastructure projects. Under his leadership, Malaysia transformed from being an agricultural country to a modern, industrial nation. Between 1988 and 1996, Malaysia experienced an 8 percent economic growth rate, during which Mahathir introduced an economic plan, known as The Way Forward or Vision 2020 , aiming for the country to achieve fully developed nation status by 2020. Mahathir

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3872-548: A state of Malaysia . He vociferously attacked Singapore's dominant People's Action Party for being "pro-Chinese" and "anti-Malay" and called its leader, Lee Kuan Yew , "arrogant". Singapore was expelled from Malaysia in Mahathir's first full year in parliament. Despite Mahathir's prominence, he lost his seat in the 1969 election , defeated by Yusof Rawa of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). Mahathir attributed

4048-687: A state of emergency. However, if he refused to assent to a bill, the bill would return to Parliament, which could then override Agong's veto. On the economic front, Mahathir inherited the New Economic Policy from his predecessors, which was designed to improve the economic position of the bumiputera —Malaysia's Malays and Indigenous peoples —via targets and affirmative action in areas such as corporate ownership and university admission. Like many of his economic liberal contemporaries such as British prime minister Margaret Thatcher , Mahathir actively pursued privatisation of government enterprises from

4224-465: A step in (the) right direction. It is not the present administration that convened those tribunals." Instead, Karpal suggested that a Royal Commission be set up. A few days later, The Malaysian Insider , a news website, reported that the Cabinet was critical of the proposal, citing the potential for legal liability if the government admitted wrongdoing. Zaid said that the proposal was still being considered, and that "we have to wait." In April 2008, at

4400-505: A victory of similar margins, suspected that the election had been fixed. The Team B candidate for Deputy President, Musa Hitam, had also been defeated by Ghafar Baba of Team A, while two of the three vice-presidents were Team A candidates. The Supreme Council comprised 16 Team A candidates and 9 Team B candidates. Allegations were made that several delegates who had voted were drawn from UMNO branches not properly registered. There were also several unproved allegations being bandied about that

4576-532: Is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia . As the oldest (but non-continuous) national political party within Malaysia (since its inception in 1946), UMNO has been known as Malaysia's "Grand Old Party". UMNO is a founding and the principal dominant member of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which taken along with its predecessor Alliance , had been the main governing party of Malaysia from

4752-440: Is revered in developing and Islamic nations for Malaysia's economic progress and support of liberal Muslim values . He also champions Malay nationalism , although he has evolved from supporting " Ketuanan Melayu " to advocating a " Bangsa Malaysia " that assimilates non-Malays into Malay culture , strictly rejecting multiculturalism . He criticizes neoliberalism and Western influence , controversially suggesting that

4928-476: The 1988 judicial crisis ) was a series of events that began with United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party elections in 1987 and ended with the suspension and the eventual removal of the Lord President of the Supreme Court , Tun Salleh Abas , from his seat. The Supreme Court in the years leading up to 1988 had been increasingly independent of the other branches of the government. Matters then came to

5104-632: The 1990 election . Semangat 46 failed to make any headway outside Razaleigh's home state of Kelantan. The expiry of the Malaysian New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1990 allowed Mahathir to outline his economic vision for Malaysia. In 1991, he announced Vision 2020 , under which Malaysia would aim to become a fully developed country within 30 years. The target would require average economic growth of approximately seven per cent of gross domestic product per annum. One of Vision 2020's features would be to gradually break down ethnic barriers. Vision 2020

5280-508: The 1MDB corruption scandal in 2016, joining BERSATU and leading the Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition to victory in the 2018 general election . During his second tenure , he pledged to investigate the 1MDB scandal, combat corruption, and cut spending on large infrastructure projects. He also secured the pardon and release of Anwar Ibrahim . Mahathir resigned in 2020 amidst a political crisis . Despite losing his parliamentary seat in

5456-460: The 2022 general election , he remained active in politics and shifted party affiliation several times. Mahathir's political views have shifted throughout his life, and are shaped by his Malay nationalism and Islamic religious beliefs . Initially, he was aligned with Third-Worldism in the 1980s and later advocated for " Asian values " and globalization . He has consistently maintained Islamic political views throughout his political career. He

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5632-629: The Abdul Razak government , returning to UMNO's Supreme Council in 1973. He was appointed to Cabinet in 1974 as the Minister for Education . He returned to the House of Representatives in the 1974 election , winning the Kedah-based seat of Kubang Pasu unopposed. One of his first acts as Minister for Education was to introduce greater government control over Malaysia's universities , despite strong opposition from

5808-480: The Asian financial crisis . The 1997 Southeast Asian haze , the worst haze event in history caused by Indonesian forest fires , was a major air pollution crisis for the country; Mahathir launched a cross-border firefighting operation in response. In 1997, the Asian financial crisis threatened to devastate Malaysia's economy. The value of the ringgit plummeted due to currency speculation, foreign investment fled, and

5984-665: The British grouped the Malay states and the Straits Settlements into the Malayan Union , and granted citizenship to non-Malays. This caused major backlash from Malays and a wave of Malay nationalism swept across the country. Mahathir became politically activated by these changes, joining protests and activism against the new citizenship policies. Mahathir later argued for affirmative action for Malays at medical college. While at college, he contributed to The Straits Times under

6160-565: The Constitution . Independence was declared by the Tunku in Merdeka Stadium on 31 August 1957, marking a transition into a new era of Malayan and Malaysian politics. In Malaya's first general elections in 1959, the Alliance coalition led by UMNO won 51.8% of the votes and captured 74 out of 104 seats, enough for a two-thirds majority in parliament , which would not only allow them to form

6336-628: The Independence of Malaya Party . Tunku Abdul Rahman replaced Dato' Onn as UMNO President. In the following year, the Kuala Lumpur branch of UMNO formed an ad hoc and temporary electoral pact with the Selangor branch of Malayan Chinese Association to avoid contesting the same seats in the Kuala Lumpur municipal council elections. UMNO and MCA eventually carried nine out of the twelve seats, dealing

6512-462: The Internal Security Act . This included journalist Samad Ismail and Abdullah Ahmad , who was a former deputy minister in the former government but was suspected of being an underground communist . He appointed Musa Hitam as deputy prime minister. Mahathir exercised caution in his first two years in power, consolidating UMNO's leadership and, with victory in the 1982 general election ,

6688-631: The Kadazan people was discontinued in favour of the Malay language. The USNO Chief Minister, Mustapha Harun , was also known for favouring political patronage as a means of allocating valuable timber contracts, and living an extravagant lifestyle, being ferried to his A$ 1 million Queensland home by jets provided with Sabahan public funds. On 24 April 1987, UMNO held its Annual General Assembly and triennial Party election. The then Prime Minister and party President, Mahathir Mohamad , faced his first party election in 12 years, having been elected unopposed since

6864-666: The Malayan Emergency had been on-going. The Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA), the armed wing of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), committed sabotage campaigns against the British by disrupting transportation and communication networks, attacking police stations, burning down factories, with the goal of gaining independence for Malaya by making British rule in Malaya too expensive to maintain. The colonial government declared

7040-525: The Malayan Union in the 1940s to forming the Gerakan Tanah Air coalition in 2022. He was granted the soubriquet "Father of Modernisation" (" Bapa Pemodenan ") for his pivotal role in transforming the country's economy and infrastructure. At the age of 99, he is currently the oldest living former Malaysian prime minister. Born and raised in Alor Setar , Kedah, Mahathir excelled in his studies and pursued

7216-469: The National Justice Party ( Keadilan ) to contest in the 1999 election . UMNO lost 18 seats and two state governments as large numbers of Malays voted for PAS or Keadilan in protest of Anwar's treatment. In September 2001, debate aroused after Mahathir announced that Malaysia was already an Islamic state ; this caused uneasiness among non-Muslims in Malaysia, whilst the opposition DAP launched

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7392-542: The Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat , but Tunku was not properly considered an incumbent then, being only a care-taker president. The 1987 contest was a vastly different matter. Mahathir was opposed by his very popular former Finance Minister, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah . The press took to referring to Mahathir and his supporters as Team A, and Razaleigh's camp as Team B. Team B included then Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam , who

7568-633: The US government was involved in the 9/11 attacks and a group of international elites control every aspects of life with the aim of establishing global hegemony . He has also been accused of antisemitism for his comments , which include stereotypes about Jews' financial skills and media control . On environmental issues, he criticizes the Global North countries for " eco-imperialism " and defends Malaysia's palm oil industry as sustainable, despite international scrutiny linking it to deforestation . Mahathir

7744-621: The West . As prime minister, he was an advocate of Asian values and development models , and was particularly prominent across the Muslim world . In 2002, Mahathir announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister, officially stepping down in 2003 after 22 years in office, but remained politically influential and was critical of his successors. Mahathir also served as the Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) from 2004 to 2016. He quit UMNO over

7920-657: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) and the Malay rulers, expressing their grievances. The proposed letter, which was unanimously approved, was written by Salleh Abas. The letter stated the judges' disappointment "with the various comments and accusations made by the Honourable Prime Minister against the Judiciary," but did not demand specific action be taken – instead, it ended with an expression of "hope that all those unfounded accusations will be stopped". In 1988, Tun Salleh Abas

8096-451: The cabinet reshuffle that promoted Hussein Onn, Mahathir was given the key post of Minister for Education. The Tun Razak government announced the New Economic Policy in 1971. Its stated goal was to "eventually eradicate poverty... irrespective of race" through a "rapidly expanding economy" which emphasised to increase the Malays' share in the national economy to a reasonable portion between all

8272-562: The independence of Malaya in 1957 until its defeat in the 2018 general election . From 1957 to 2018, every Prime Minister of Malaysia was also the President of UMNO . It has since returned to power twice as a result of the 2020-2022 Malaysian political crisis , firstly as a partner in a Perikatan Nasional -led government and subsequently as the leading party in a BN-led government with UMNO vice-president Ismail Sabri serving as Prime Minister. A race-focused party, UMNO's goals are to uphold

8448-410: The "spirit of 1946" — the year UMNO had been founded. UMNO Baru in turn decided that the "Baru" was superfluous, and officially dropped it from its name, in effect claiming to be the true successor to UMNO instead of Razaleigh's party, which would eventually call itself Semangat 46 (Spirit of 46). The "UMNO 11" case was just one of a number which had irritated Mahathir and the government. The case of

8624-587: The 1970s, responded to the resurgence by taking an increasingly strident Islamist stand under the leadership of Yusof Rawa . Mahathir tried to appeal to religious voters by establishing Islamic institutions such as the International Islamic University of Malaysia which could promote Islamic education under government oversight. He managed to draw Anwar Ibrahim , the leader of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (ABIM), into

8800-623: The 1974 Baling demonstrations. The demonstrations resulted in the arrest of over 1,000 students, including Anwar Ibrahim who wasdetained under the Internal Security Act . In 1975, parliament passed amendments to the Universities and University Colleges Act which banned students from expressing support of or holding positions in any political party or trade union without written consent from the university's Vice-Chancellor. The act also banned political demonstrations from being held on university campuses. In 1976, however, mass demonstrations were held at

8976-478: The 1975 UMNO election. The politics of the Malays, particularly UMNO politics, had undergone a sea change in the first few years of the Mahathir stewardship, and the party presidency was challenged for the second time in 41 years. The first challenge was a dull affair in which Hussein Onn was opposed by a minor party official named Sulaiman Palestin. In fact, in the early 1950s, Tunku Abdul Rahman 's presidency had also been challenged by C. M. Yusof , who later became

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9152-503: The 1990s went to Anwar Ibrahim, appointed by Mahathir as finance minister in 1991. The government rode the economic wave and won the 1995 election with an increased majority. Mahathir initiated a series of major infrastructure projects in the 1990s. One of the largest was the Multimedia Super Corridor , a new information technology district south of Kuala Lumpur modelled after Silicon Valley . Other Mahathir projects included

9328-504: The 1990s, Mahathir found himself at odds with Malaysian royalty over conflicting economic interests. In response to conflicts between Malaysian royals and prospective business leaders, Mahathir's government passed a resolution on royal activities. In the 1992 Gomez Incident , Sultan Iskandar's son, a representative field hockey player, was suspended from competition for five years for assaulting an opponent. Iskandar retaliated by pulling all Johor hockey teams out of national competitions. When

9504-519: The 84 seats it contested, leaving PAS with just one Member of Parliament (MP). In 1987, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah , who had been demoted from Finance Minister to Trade and Industry Minister , challenged Mahathir for UMNO's presidency , and effectively the prime ministership. Razaleigh's bid was supported by Musa, who had resigned as deputy prime minister the previous year. While once close allies with Mahathir, both fell out with Musa claiming that Mahathir no longer trusted him. Razaleigh and Musa ran for

9680-527: The Agong called him as prime minister and said he wanted Salleh sacked and passed him a copy of the Abas's alleged letter in question. Dr Mahathir claimed that the matter was discussed by his Cabinet then, which decided on a tribunal to remove Salleh as Lord President. Former Attorney General Abu Talib Othman agreed that Dr Mahathir was not responsible for dismissing the Lord President. Othman clarified that he saw

9856-474: The Agong from the matter. He also claimed there had been a letter with remarks from the Agong regarding Salleh, but said this has since been lost. He also maintained that Salleh's removal was prompted by the Agong's displeasure over a letter Salleh had allegedly written to the monarch regarding construction noises from the Ruler's nearby private home, which was also copied to the other Malay Rulers. Mahathir claimed that

10032-732: The Alliance to allow it to contest elections there. In the 1963 Singapore state elections , the Alliance decided to challenge Lee Kuan Yew 's governing People's Action Party through the Singapore Alliance Party . UMNO politicians actively campaigned in Singapore for the Singapore Alliance, contending that the Singapore Malays were being treated as second-class citizens under the Chinese-dominated PAP government. All of

10208-550: The Barisan Nasional. Team B was also perceived as less Islamist than Mahathir's faction. Mahathir claimed that the charges against him were groundless, and suggested that his opponents were fracturing Malay unity and were only motivated by greed. Eventually, Mahathir was returned to office. However, he was elected with such a small majority of 43 (761 against 718 votes) that questions were immediately raised about his mandate. Team B supporters, many of whom had been anticipating

10384-689: The Chief Minister of a state. They thought he was acting as if he were the Prime Minister of a sovereign nation. Finance Minister Tan Siew Sin of the MCA labelled Lee as the "greatest, disruptive force in the entire history of Malaysia and Malaya." Lee now seemed determined to press forward politically and continue contesting elections nationwide, with the formation of the Malaysian Solidarity Council —a coalition of political parties which called for

10560-532: The Communist emergency, and reforming the civil service through the hiring of more Malayans as opposed to foreigners. When the results were released, it emerged that the Alliance had won 51 of the 52 seats contested, with the other seat going to PAS (the Pan-Malayan Islamic Party, a group of Islamists that split from UMNO). The Tunku became the first Chief Minister of Malaya. Throughout this period,

10736-573: The English student newspaper and winning a series of language awards, he won a position in a selective English-medium secondary school Government English School in 1933. With schools closed during the Japanese occupation of Malaya in World War II , he started a small business, selling coffee and snacks such as pisang goreng (banana fritters). After the war, Mahathir graduated from secondary school with

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10912-528: The High Court without first going to a Magistrate's Court. After Operation Lalang in 1987, where the government detained several political dissidents without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA), the High Court granted Karpal Singh 's application to be released from detention due to technicalities in the way he had been detained. This last case did it for Mahathir. The following week, he submitted several constitutional amendments to Parliament, divesting

11088-452: The IMF – Malaysia recovered from the crisis faster than its Southeast Asian neighbours. In the domestic sphere , it was a political triumph. Amidst the economic events of 1998, Mahathir had dismissed Anwar as finance minister and deputy prime minister, taking credit for the economy's recovery despite Anwar's policies. Anwar led the reformasi movement against Mahathir's government in response. In

11264-528: The Internal Security Act. Mahathir argued that the detentions were necessary to prevent a repeat of the 1969 race riots. Most of the detainees were prominent opposition activists, including the DAP leader, Lim Kit Siang , and nine of his fellow MPs. Three newspapers sympathetic to the opposition were shut down. Mahathir suffered a heart attack in early 1989. He recovered to lead Barisan Nasional to victory in

11440-681: The MARA Institute of Technology, protesting the UUCA. Mahathir then threatened to revoke the scholarships of the students, most of whom relied on public support to pay their way through university. BN was also challenged in Sarawak after the 1974 election, which saw the Sarawak National Party led by James Wong become tied with the DAP as the largest opposition party in Parliament, both of them holding nine seats each. SNAP had campaigned against BN on

11616-580: The MCA for Gerakan. This contributed to internal strife, as the MCA was no longer the sole representative of Chinese interests in the National Front. Discontent among student organisations in Malaysian universities soon posed a new problem for the UMNO-led government. However, Mahathir in his capacity as Minister for Education issued a stern warning to university students and faculty not to become involved in politics. However, after stories that children of rubber tappers had died after consuming poisonous wild yam due to poverty, university students reacted by staging

11792-415: The MCA, thus straining relations between the two parties. However, the Alliance was dealt an even larger blow on the state level, losing control of Kelantan , Perak , and Penang . A major riot broke out in the aftermath of the election on 13 May 1969. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) declared a national emergency after being advised by the national government to do so. Parliament was suspended, with

11968-450: The MCP Secretary-General, insisted that the MCP be allowed to contest elections and be declared a legal political party as a pre-condition to laying down arms. However, the Tunku rejected this, leading to an impasse. In 1956, the Tunku led a group of negotiators, comprising Alliance politicians and representatives of the Malay rulers, to London. There, they brokered a deal with the British government for independence. The date of independence

12144-399: The MCP, along with several left-wing political groups, illegal in 1948. In 1955, the Alliance government together with the British High Commissioner declared an amnesty for the communist insurgents who surrendered. Representatives from the Alliance government also met with leaders of the MCP in an attempt to resolve the conflict peacefully, as their manifesto in the election stated. Chin Peng ,

12320-402: The Malayan Union had been replaced by the semi-autonomous Federation of Malaya, UMNO shifted its focus to politics and governance. According to at least one official school textbook published during UMNO's time in government, the party fought for other races once they were at the helm of the country. In 1951, Onn Jaafar left UMNO after failing to open its membership to non-Malay Malayans to form

12496-442: The Malays are the definitive people of Malaysia, and thus deserved special rights as the sovereign people of the nation. It also controversially argued that the Malays needed affirmative action to overcome deficiencies in their genetic stock. Hussein Onn, son of UMNO founder Dato' Onn Ja'afar, soon became a rising star in UMNO. After Ismail died suddenly of a heart attack in 1973, Hussein Onn succeeded him as Deputy Prime Minister. In

12672-455: The PM and Attorney General had no powers to dismiss a Lord President. Abu Talib alleged that the Agong was displeased with Salleh's letter complaining about the criticisms levelled at the judiciary by the executive. When asked about the revelations, Tun Salleh Abas stated that it was time to move on from the sacking which took place 30 years earlier, and that the crisis was merely being politicised in

12848-611: The People's Party ( Parti Rakyat Brunei ) which objected to the formation of Malaysia, and the Sultan of Brunei Omar Ali Saifuddien III 's demand that he be recognised as the most senior Malay ruler—a demand that was rejected. The Philippines and Indonesia strenuously objected to this development, with Indonesia claiming Malaysia represented a form of neocolonialism and the Philippines claiming Sabah as its territory . The United Nations sent

13024-465: The Registrar of Societies, and as a result were not eligible to vote. They also claimed that certain documents related to the election had been "tampered with". Although Razaleigh was not among the twelve plaintiffs, he was widely believed to be funding and co-ordinating the suit. Later, one of the twelve withdrew from the case, but the remaining eleven continued to press on. The High Court eventually gave

13200-442: The Registrar of Societies. As a result, Harun declared he had no choice but to declare UMNO "an unlawful society", thereby rendering "[w]hat happened in 1987" a nullity. In his decision, Harun blamed Parliament for forcing his hand: "If the old law was in existence... [one could] apply the common law principle, but here it seems the Parliament, to ensure strict compliance with the law, has made this provision look harsh." As soon as

13376-570: The Supreme Court overturned the cancellation of Berthelsen's work permit because he had not been given a chance to answer the charges of the government. As a result, the ban on the Asian Wall Street Journal was also lifted. In a different case, the Supreme Court used its power of judicial review , and nullified amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code which gave the Attorney-General the power to initiate criminal proceedings in

13552-533: The Tunku and the Malay rulers had asked the Reid Commission to ensure that " in an independent Malaya all nationals should be accorded equal rights, privileges and opportunities and there must not be discrimination on grounds of race and creed ," the Malay privileges, which many in UMNO backed, were cited as necessary by the Reid Commission as a form of affirmative action that would eventually be phased out. These measures were included as Articles 3, 152 and 153 of

13728-440: The Tunku in 1970, he began asserting UMNO's leadership in the Alliance more strongly. When the Tunku led the coalition, he had always consulted Alliance leaders regarding policy—if an Alliance leader objected, the policy was not passed. Under Tun Razak, UMNO was the base of the Alliance and thus the government. The NOC which he led until Parliament reconvened consisted of 7 Malays, one Chinese and one Indian. In Tun Razak's cabinet,

13904-548: The UMNO General Assembly shortly after the votecounting was completed, rumours spread that Razaleigh had won. However, the official results declared Mahathir the winner, with 761 votes to Razaleigh's 718. The Team A candidate for Deputy Prime Minister, Ghafar Baba , defeated Musa Hitam of Team B as well, and 16 of the 25 seats on the UMNO Supreme Council also went to Team A. Razaleigh's supporters were upset by

14080-514: The UMNO defence argued that not all possible remedies within UMNO had been exhausted. The plaintiffs, however, insisted that the fact that at least 30 unregistered branches had sent delegates to the UMNO elections should have been enough to nullify their results. In the end, Harun dismissed the suit, citing Article 41 of the Societies Act 1966, which stated any society would automatically become "unlawful" if any of its branches were not registered with

14256-403: The UMNO presidency and deputy presidency on a joint ticket against Mahathir and his new choice for deputy Abdul Ghafar Baba . Mahathir's Team A enjoyed the press's support, most party heavyweights, and even Iskandar, now the Agong. However, other prominent figures such as Abdullah Ahmad Badawi supported Team B. In the election, held on 24 April 1987, Team A prevailed. Mahathir was re-elected by

14432-575: The UMNO-backed Malay candidates lost to PAP candidates. UMNO Secretary-General Syed Jaafar Albar travelled to Singapore to address the Malay populace. At one rally, he called the PAP Malay politicians un-Islamic and traitors to the Malay race, greatly straining PAP-UMNO relations . The PAP politicians, who saw this as a betrayal of an earlier agreement with the Alliance not to contest elections in Malaysia and Singapore respectively, decided on running on

14608-401: The academic community. He moved to limit politics on university campuses, giving his ministry the power to discipline students and academics who were politically active and making scholarships for students conditional on the avoidance of politics. In 1975, Mahathir ran for one of the three vice-presidencies of UMNO. The contest was regarded as a struggle for the party's leadership succession, as

14784-411: The aspirations of Malay nationalism , the racial concept of Ketuanan Melayu (lit. Malay Supremacy), the dignity of the Malay race, the religion of Islam, as well as of the country itself. The party also aspires to protect Malay culture as the national culture and to uphold, defend and expand Islam across Malaysia. In the 2018 UMNO leadership election , which was considered by many as crucial to

14960-646: The balloting process had not been above board. Nevertheless, Razaleigh pledged to support Mahathir, provided that a "witch hunt" was not launched. However, Mahathir promptly purged the government cabinet of all Team B members, and launched similar reshuffles in state and local governments. 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis UMNO (1964–2016) BERSATU (2016–2020) PEJUANG (2020–2023) PUTRA (2023–present) Alliance Party (1964–1974) Barisan Nasional (1974–2016) Pakatan Harapan (2017–2020) Gerakan Tanah Air (2022–2023) [REDACTED] The 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis (also known as

15136-403: The cabinet paid tribute to Mahathir for his invaluable service to the nation as Prime Minister for the last 22 years. He also received a record-breaking outpouring of public gratitude, marked by a 5.5 km-long banner displaying messages from over 50,000 Malaysians. Having spent over 22 years in office, Mahathir was the world's longest-serving elected leader when he retired. For his contributions to

15312-527: The car manufacturer Proton as a joint venture between the Malaysian government and Mitsubishi . By the end of the 1980s, with the support of protective tariffs , Proton became a profitable enterprise and the largest carmaker in Southeast Asia . In Mahathir's early years as prime minister, Malaysia experienced a resurgence of Islam and conservatism among Malays. PAS, which had joined UMNO in government in

15488-413: The case. After the 2008 general election which saw heavy losses for BN, Abdullah reshuffled his Cabinet. Within days of his appointment, new de facto Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim stated that the government had to openly apologise for its handling of the crisis, calling it one of his three main goals: "In the eyes of the world, the judicial crisis has weakened our judiciary system." However, he rejected

15664-492: The courts of the "judicial power of the Federation" and giving them only such judicial powers as Parliament might grant them. In justifying the amendments, Mahathir stated: "...the courts have decided that in enforcing the law they are bound by their interpretations and not by the reasons for which Parliament formulated these laws ... lately the judiciary had seen fit to touch on matters which were previously regarded as solely within

15840-427: The crisis "inappropriate". Not long after, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi called the crisis one which the nation had never recovered from and announced ex gratia compensation for the sacked and suspended judges. In 1987, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) — a leading party in the governing Barisan Nasional coalition – held elections for its numerous offices. For the first time in twelve years,

16016-452: The decision was made public, Mahathir assured UMNO members that as the decision was based on minor "technicalities", the party could easily be restored as a lawful society. He also reminded the public that this did not threaten his status as Prime Minister, as only a no-confidence vote could lawfully remove him from power. Within a fortnight of Harun's decision, Mahathir announced the registration of UMNO Baru (New UMNO). UMNO Baru's leadership

16192-432: The development and progress of Malaysia, Mahathir was honored by his successor, Abdullah Badawi, with the title Bapa Pemodenan Malaysia (Father of Malaysia's Modernisation) after stepping down from office. United Malays National Organisation [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Race and politics The United Malays National Organisation ( UMNO ), officially Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu ( PEKEMBAR ),

16368-511: The development of Putrajaya as the home of Malaysia's public service and bringing a Formula One Grand Prix to Sepang . One of the most controversial developments was the Bakun Dam in Sarawak. The ambitious hydro-electric project was intended to carry electricity across the South China Sea to satisfy electricity demand in peninsular Malaysia. Work on the dam was eventually suspended due to

16544-405: The early 1980s. Mahathir believed this would provide economic opportunities for bumiputera and their businesses. His government privatised airlines , utilities and telecommunication firms , accelerating to a rate of about 50 privatisations a year by the mid-1990s. While privatisation generally improved the working conditions of Malaysians in privatised industries and raised significant revenue for

16720-410: The election, which they insisted had to have been rigged. Their anger was exacerbated by Mahathir, who went on to purge all Team B members from the Cabinet. As a result, 12 UMNO members filed a lawsuit in the High Court, seeking a court order to void the election results and pave the way for a new election. The plaintiffs alleged that 78 of the delegates had been selected by branches not registered with

16896-522: The election, wrote a letter to the Tunku criticising his leadership. Mahathir organised a campaign with University of Malaya lecturer Raja Muktaruddin Daim , circulating his letter among the student bodies of local universities. Mass demonstrations broke out calling for "Malay sovereignty" and the Tunku's ousting. After the riot, Home Affairs Minister Ismail Abdul Rahman and Tun Razak agreed to expel Mahathir and former Executive Secretary of UMNO Musa Hitam from

17072-459: The executive's jurisdiction." The Lord President of the Supreme Court, Tun Salleh Abas , was pressured by his fellow judges to respond to the government's actions. Salleh decided to convene a meeting of all 20 judges from the Supreme and High Courts in the capital of Kuala Lumpur . At the meeting, they agreed not to publicly reply to Mahathir's criticisms. Instead, they wrote a confidential letter to

17248-399: The expulsion of Singapore. Tunku opened his speech in Parliament with the words, "In all the 10 years of my leadership of this House I have never had a duty so unpleasant as this to perform. The announcement which I am making concerns the separation of Singapore from the rest of the Federation." On that day, Lee Kuan Yew announced that Singapore was a sovereign independent nation and assumed

17424-508: The fold of the Alliance. Gerakan, PPP, PAS, and several former opposition parties in East Malaysia joined the coalition, which was renamed as Barisan Nasional . Barisan was formally registered as an organisation in 1974, the same year in which a general election was held. There had been much internal conflict in the National Front regarding the election; in 1973, Lim Keng Yaik and several supporters of his aggressive pro-Chinese stance left

17600-555: The fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. With a cumulative tenure of 24 years, making him the longest-serving prime minister in Malaysian history. Before becoming premier, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and in other cabinet positions. He was a Member of Parliament for Langkawi from 2018 to 2022, Kubang Pasu from 1974 to 2004, and Kota Star Selatan from 1964 to 1969. His political career spanned more than 78 years, from joining protests opposing citizenship policies for non-Malays in

17776-400: The government again but amend the constitution at will. However, for the Alliance, the election was marred by internal strife when MCA leader Lim Chong Eu demanded his party be allowed to contest 40 of the 104 seats available. When the Tunku rejected this, many of Lim's supporters resigned, and ran in the election as independents, which cost the Alliance some seats. In 1961, the Tunku mooted

17952-405: The government reassigned several High Court judges to different divisions, including Justice Harun Hashim who was then hearing the UMNO case. However, as the latter case was already in progress, Harun's transfer would not take effect until the case closed. Harun was thus forced to make the final call on the case of the "UMNO 11". Although most of the evidence they had presented was not contested,

18128-497: The government to selective Bumiputras . The old civil service hiring quota of 4 Malays for every non-Malay's was effectively disregarded in practice; between 1969 and 1973, 98% of all new government employees were Malay. Five new universities were opened under the NEP, two of which were targeted to focus on the poor Malays and Muslim citizens. Tun Razak also began shoring up the government by bringing in several former opposition parties into

18304-439: The government, also sending an open dissenting letter to Tunku for failing to uphold Malay interests and calling for his resignation. By the end of the year, Mahathir was fired from UMNO's Supreme Council and expelled from the party. Tunku had to be persuaded not to have him arrested. Expelled from UMNO, Mahathir wrote his first book, The Malay Dilemma , in which he set out his vision for the Malay community. The book argued that

18480-529: The government, many privatisations occurred in the absence of open tendering processes and benefited Malays who supported UMNO. One of the most notable infrastructure projects at the time was the construction of the North–South Expressway , a motorway running from the Thai border to Singapore. The contract to construct the expressway was awarded to a business venture of UMNO. Mahathir oversaw the establishment of

18656-497: The government. In 1983, Mahathir undertook one of the first challenges he had with Malaysia's royalty . The position of Yang di-Pertuan Agong , the Malaysian head of state, was due to rotate into either the elderly Idris Shah II of Perak or the controversial Iskandar of Johor , who had only a few years earlier been convicted of manslaughter. Mahathir had grave reservations about the two Sultans, who were both activist rulers of their own states. Mahathir tried to pre-emptively limit

18832-600: The health of Abdul Razak and his deputy, Hussein Onn , waned. Each of Abdul Razak's preferred candidates was elected: former Chief Minister of Melaka, Ghafar Baba ; Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah , a wealthy businessman and member of Kelantan 's royal family; and Mahathir. When Razak died the following year, Hussein, as his successor, had to choose between the three men, alongside the Minister of Home Affairs Ghazali Shafie , to be deputy prime minister. Mahathir's rivals had significant political liabilities: Ghazali, having been defeated by

19008-569: The highest rank and enrolled to study medicine at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore . Mahathir studied medicine at what was then called University of Malaya, later renamed University of Singapore . When the university granted him an honorary degree in November 2018, he said "I will always value my stay in Singapore for nearly six years." Mahathir married Hasmah in 1956,

19184-462: The idea of forming a federation named "Malaysia", which would consist of the British colonies of Singapore , Sabah , Sarawak , and also the British Protectorate of Brunei . The reasoning behind this was that this would allow the federal government to control and combat communist activities, especially in Singapore. It was also feared that if Singapore achieved independence, it would become

19360-551: The idea of reviewing the decision: "I am not suggesting that we re-open the case. I am saying that it's clear to everyone, to the world, that serious transgressions had been committed by the previous administration. And I believe that the prime minister is big enough and man enough to say that we had done wrong to these people and we are sorry." The Bar Council welcomed the proposal. Newly appointed Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad also voiced support: "The Government has apologised for so many other things to

19536-399: The incumbent Prime Minister, Mahathir, was challenged. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was the candidate of "Team B" for the Prime Minister, taking on Mahathir, whose camp was labelled "Team A". There was an intense campaign to win the support of the roughly 1,500 delegates from party branches all over the country, who would elect the party officers. Razaleigh's supporters expected him to win, and at

19712-579: The journey of the UMNO party was the result of a combination of 41 Malay associations in the Malay Peninsula at that time led by Ahmad Boestamam who presented a memorandum to Sultan Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim who became the Sultan Johor at that time to reject the Malayan Union proposal brought by the British. In the second phase, a series of Malay congresses were held, culminating in the formation of

19888-484: The judicial system. Two of the six judges involved in the 1988 crisis – Tun Salleh Abas and Azmi Kamaruddin – and the families of the other four were present. Zaid welcomed Abdullah's announcement in spite of the lack of a formal apology, saying: "(One) can say sorry in other ways." George Seah's son told the press that although all his father wanted was an apology, the family would not reject any goodwill payments. Tan Sri Wan Suleiman Pawanteh's wife said: "Although I thank

20064-592: The judiciary, telling Time , " The judiciary says, 'Although you passed a law with a certain thing in mind, we think that your mind is wrong, and we want to give our interpretation.' If we disagree, the Courts will say, 'We will interpret your disagreement.' If we [the government and Parliament ] go along, we are going to lose our power of legislation. " Mahathir also lashed out at "black sheep [judges] ... who want to be ... fiercely independent," accusing them of playing to public opinion. Immediately after this latter statement,

20240-404: The latter's policies. During this period, many begin calling for the judiciary or government to review the decision against the sacked judges. Among the loudest advocates of the review was Tun Salleh Abas himself. The administration dismissed such calls. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz , who was then de facto Law Minister, said that he was not convinced of the need to review

20416-399: The legacy of 1988 haunts us until today. ... For many, the events of 1988 were an upheaval of the nation's judicial system. Rightly or wrongly, many disputed both the legality and morality of the related proceedings. For me, personally, I feel it was a time of crisis from which the nation never fully recovered. He then announced that the government would make ex gratia goodwill payments to

20592-736: The loss of his seat to ethnic Chinese voters switching support from UMNO to PAS. Being a Malay-dominated seat, only the two major Malay parties fielded candidates, leaving Chinese voters to choose between the Malay-centric UMNO and the Islamist PAS. Large government losses in the election were followed by the race riots of 13 May 1969 . Hundreds of people were killed in clashes between Malays and Chinese. In 1968, Mahathir had expressed concern over escalating racial tensions in two newspaper articles, and feared preventative measures would be needed to avoid violence. Outside parliament, he openly criticised

20768-537: The main stock exchange index fell by over 75 per cent. At the urging of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government cut government spending. It raised interest rates, which only served to exacerbate the economic situation. In 1998, Mahathir went against the advice of IMF and Anwar by increasing government spending and fixing the ringgit to the US dollar. The result confounded his international critics and

20944-450: The mainland in the 1964 general election . Although the PAP contested nine Parliamentary seats and attracted large crowds at its rallies, it won only one seat. The strain in race relations caused by the communal lines along which the political factions had been drawn led to the 1964 Race Riots in Singapore. Alliance leaders also were alarmed at Lee's behaviour, which they considered unseemly for

21120-534: The media speculated that it related to lurid allegations of sexual misconduct circulated in a "poison pen letter" at the general assembly. As more allegations surfaced, large public rallies were held in support of Anwar. On 20 September, he was arrested and placed in detention under the Internal Security Act. Anwar stood trial on four charges of corruption, arising from allegations that Anwar abused his power by ordering police to intimidate persons who had alleged Anwar had sodomised them. Before Anwar's trial, Mahathir told

21296-467: The mid-1990s, Mahathir had become the country's "uncrowned king". His policies during his first premiership were later described as " authoritarian " by the BBC . According to biographer Ian Stewart, by the mid-1990s Anwar's leadership ambition was the most serious threat to Mahathir's power. Anwar began to distance himself from Mahathir, overtly promoting his superior religious credentials and suggesting loosening

21472-591: The ministry promoting Malaysia through overseas visits. However, Mahathir did not have much influence as deputy prime minister. Hussein was a cautious leader who rejected many of Mahathir's bold policy proposals, such as a freeway the length of Peninsular Malaysia and heavy industries cooperation. Hussein remained distant from Mahathir while keeping Ghazali and Razaleigh as his close advisors, who often outmanoeuvred Mahathir to reach Hussein. Nonetheless, when Hussein relinquished power due to ill health in 1981, Mahathir succeeded him unopposed and with his blessing. Mahathir

21648-547: The name UMNO. According to Milne and Mauzy, the episode destroyed the independence of Malaysia's judiciary. At the same time as the political and judicial crises, Mahathir initiated a crackdown on opposition dissidents using the Internal Security Act . Mahathir later declared that it was only used to lock up people accused of riots, unlawful assembly, terrorism and those who have murdered police officers. The appointment of several administrators who did not speak Mandarin to Chinese schools provoked an outcry among Chinese Malaysians to

21824-406: The national economy. In 1976, he advanced to the position of deputy prime minister, and in 1981, he was sworn in as prime minister, embarking on a historic tenure that would span 22 years and transform Malaysia's political and economic landscape. During Mahathir's first tenure, Malaysia underwent modernisation and economic growth when his government initiated widespread industry privatisation and

22000-533: The nationalist party, UMNO on 10 May 1946 at the Third Malay Congress in Johor Bahru , with Datuk Onn Jaafar as its leader. UMNO strongly opposed the Malayan Union, but originally did not seek political power. UMNO had no choice but continue playing a supporting role to the British colonial administration. The British cooperated with UMNO leaders and helped to defeat the communist insurgency. In 1949, after

22176-412: The newly formed Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia or Gerakan, led by Lim Chong Eu, also adopted the DAP's stance. Matters came to a head in the 1969 general election . When polling closed on the mainland peninsula (West Malaysia) on 10 May, it emerged the Alliance had won less than half of the popular vote, although it was assured of 66 out of 104 Parliamentary seats available. Much of the losses came from

22352-469: The note written, signed by the then Agong, asking then PM Mahathir to remove the Lord President and advised the PM on procedure, but denied Mahathir's claims that his name was being used to distance the Agong. Othman suggested that Mahathir was merely acting on the insistence of the then Yang di-Pertuan Agung himself in setting up of the dismissal tribunal via the provisions and channels of the Constitution as

22528-432: The others for a vice-presidency, lacked the support of UMNO members. Ghafar had no higher education and was not fluent in English. Razaleigh was young, inexperienced and unmarried. However, Hussein and Mahathir were not close allies, and Hussein knew Mahathir's choice would displease Abdul Razak. After six weeks of indecision, Mahathir was, much to his surprise, appointed as Hussein's deputy. The appointment meant that Mahathir

22704-415: The parties a two-week deadline to reach an out of court settlement. An UMNO "Unity Panel" was formed to handle the negotiations and reach a compromise. However, it soon became clear that the differences were intractable – Team B would settle for no less than a new election, while Team A insisted that the suit be withdrawn and a "face-saving" solution be reached which would allow some Team B members to remain in

22880-421: The party for breaching party discipline. The suspended elections in East Malaysia were held in 1970, and restored the Alliance government's two-thirds majority in parliament. On 31 August that year, the Tunku announced the national ideology of Rukunegara and his planned retirement as Prime Minister in favour of Tun Razak. He also stated Parliament would be restored the following year. After Tun Razak succeeded

23056-546: The party's progression, former Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was elected UMNO president in a three-way contest, defeating former UMNO Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin , and UMNO veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah . After the British returned to Malaya in the aftermath of World War II , the Malayan Union was formed. However, the Union was met with much opposition due to its constitutional framework, which allegedly threatened Malay sovereignty over Malaya. The first phase of

23232-523: The party, Mahathir published his book The Malay Dilemma in 1970, a work that explored the socio-political and economic challenges facing the Malay community and drew significant attention for its bold views. After Tunku Abdul Rahman's resignation, Mahathir rejoined UMNO and regained his seat in parliament. His political ascent continued as he was appointed Minister of Education from 1974 to 1978. He subsequently became Minister of Trade and Industry from 1978 to 1981, promoting industrialization to strengthen

23408-401: The party. Eventually the eleven plaintiffs declared they would seek a final judgement from the court. This did not please Mahathir, who had clashed on several previous occasions with the judiciary. In one instance, a government order revoking the work permits of two foreign journalists critical of the government had been over-ruled by the Supreme Court. Mahathir began making heated attacks on

23584-432: The people, such as the untimely destruction of temples and other issues. So, why not an apology to a former Lord President?" Zaid's proposal was criticised by former Bar president Param Cumaraswamy , who insisted that Mahathir's administration, not Abdullah's, should assume responsibility: "Those who perpetrated the transgressions are still alive and they must be called to account for their conduct and seek forgiveness from

23760-670: The point where UMNO's coalition partners the Malaysian Chinese Association and Gerakan joined the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in protesting the appointments. UMNO's Youth wing held a provocative protest that triggered a shooting by a lone Malay gunman. Only Mahathir's interference prevented UMNO from staging a larger protest. Instead, Mahathir ordered what Wain calls "the biggest crackdown on political dissent Malaysia had ever seen". Under Operation Lalang , 119 people were arrested and detained without charge under

23936-410: The power that the new Agong could wield over his government. He introduced to parliament amendments to the Constitution to deem the Agong to assent to any bill that had not been assented within 15 days of passage by Parliament. The proposal removed the power to declare a state of emergency from the Agong and placed it with the prime minister. The Agong at the time, Ahmad Shah of Pahang , agreed with

24112-423: The press revealed examples of the rulers' extravagant wealth, Mahathir resolved to cut financial support to royal households. With the press and the government pitted against them, the sultans capitulated to the government's proposals. Their powers to deny assent to bills were limited by further constitutional amendments passed in 1994. With the status and powers of the Malaysian royalty diminished, Wain writes that by

24288-469: The press that he was convinced of Anwar's guilt. He was found guilty in April 1999 and sentenced to six years in prison. In another trial shortly after, Anwar was sentenced to another nine years in prison on a conviction for sodomy. The sodomy conviction was overturned on appeal after Mahathir left office. Anwar's conviction drew criticism from the international community and led to a loss in domestic support for

24464-497: The prime minister for his comments on the judiciary and called for them to be stopped. Mahathir then suspended Salleh for "gross misbehaviour and conduct", ostensibly because the letter was a breach of protocol. A tribunal set up by Mahathir found Salleh guilty and recommended to the Agong that Salleh be dismissed. Five other judges of the court supported Salleh and were suspended by Mahathir. A newly constituted court dismissed Team B's appeal, allowing Mahathir's faction to continue to use

24640-532: The prime minister, I feel less than satisfied at his decision (not to make a straightforward apology). This is not the end of the story for me. (Without an apology) I don't know, people don't know, that my husband was not guilty. I want my husband's name to be cleared. I feel my husband was innocent. He was an honest judge...Even so, I am thankful that our prime minister cares about us enough (to do this much)." Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdoolcader 's granddaughter regretted that acknowledgement had been so late in coming: "I wish he

24816-472: The proposals in principle, but baulked when he realised that the proposal would deem Sultans to assent to laws passed by state assemblies. Supported by the Sultans, the Agong refused to assent to the constitutional amendments, which had passed both houses of Parliament with comfortable majorities. When the public became aware of the impasse, and the Sultans refused to compromise with the government, Mahathir took to

24992-522: The pseudonym "C.H.E. Det" and a student journal, in which he fiercely promoted Malay rights, such as calling for the restoration of Malay as an official language. While practising as a physician in Alor Setar, Mahathir became active in UMNO. By the time of the first general election for the independent state of Malaya in 1959, he was the chairman of the party in Kedah. Despite his prominence in UMNO, Mahathir

25168-406: The purchase of luxury furniture from Italy . It was also claimed that the sackings had eliminated deadwood and improved efficiency in the courts, as evinced by a reduction in their backlog. Mahathir Mohammed stepped down from the premiership in 2003, having chosen Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to succeed him. In 2006, the relationship between the two became less than warm as Mahathir started to criticise

25344-501: The races. The NEP targeted a 30 per cent Malay share of the economy by 1990. The government contended that this would lead to a "just society" (" Masyarakat Adil "), the latter slogan being used to promote acceptance of the policy. Quotas in education and the civil service that the Constitution had explicitly provided for were expanded by the NEP, which also mandated government interference in the private sector. For instance, 30% of all shares in initial public offerings would be disbursed by

25520-415: The ranks of UMNO. In some cases, Mahathir's government employed repression against more extreme exponents of Islamism. Ibrahim Libya , a popular Islamist leader, was killed in a police shoot-out in 1985. Al-Arqam , a religious sect, was banned, and its leader, Ashaari Mohammad , was arrested under the Internal Security Act . Mahathir comprehensively defeated PAS at the polls in 1986 , winning 83 seats of

25696-529: The release of Wong and the entry of SNAP into BN in 1976. In Sabah, BN controlled the state government through the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), which strongly backed UMNO's pro-Malay and pro-Islam policies. In 1973, Islam was made the official Sabah state religion (the official religion of Sabah was originally Christianity, as permitted by the agreement signed before the merger), and usage of indigenous languages such as those of

25872-545: The reliance on English in government affairs. In this, it was aided by PAS, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, which backed special rights for the Bumiputra, and the strengthening of Islam's position in public affairs. However, the PAP's Malaysian branch, which had now become Democratic Action Party (DAP), took a very strong stance against this, and continued the expelled PAP's call for a "Malaysian Malaysia". In 1968,

26048-408: The restrictions on civil liberties. However, Mahathir continued to back Anwar as his successor until the collapse of their relationship during the Asian financial crisis , with Mahathir abandoning the tight monetary and fiscal policies urged by the IMF. Anwar refused to bail out Malaysian International Shipping Corp , in which Mahathir's son Mirzan had interests. At the UMNO General Assembly in 1998,

26224-509: The role of prime minister. After the separation and independence of Singapore in 1965, the Singapore branch of UMNO was renamed the Singapore Malay National Organisation ( Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura ). After the separation of Singapore from the Federation, the Alliance leaders focused on continuing its policies. One involved the Malay language, which was the official language of Malaysia. UMNO sought to reduce

26400-460: The ruling coalition. US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright defended Anwar as a "highly respectable leader" who was "entitled to due process and a fair trial" and met with Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail . At the APEC summit in 1999, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien refused to meet Mahathir, while his foreign minister also met with Wan Azizah. Wan Azizah had formed a liberal opposition party,

26576-458: The sacked and suspended judges: "I do not presume to equate your contribution, pain and loss with mere currency but I hope you could accept this as a heartfelt and sincere gesture to mend what had been." However, he refused to explicitly apologise for the events of 1988 or otherwise review them, saying it would "prolong the sense of crisis". Abdullah also announced his intention to set up a judicial appointments commission as part of his plans to reform

26752-509: The seats be elected, but despite the Tunku flying out to London to negotiate, the British held firm. Elections for the council were held in 1955, and the Alliance, which had now expanded to include the Malayan Indian Congress , issued a manifesto stating its goals of achieving independence by 1959, requiring a minimum of primary school education for all children, protecting the rights of the Malay rulers as constitutional monarchs, ending

26928-399: The six valiant judges, their families and Malaysians generally for the sacrilege committed to the temple of independent justice." He also proposed that the government compensate the three sacked judges since "reinstatement of the three dismissed is no longer possible." Karpal Singh , lawyer and opposition member of Parliament, agreed: "Calling for the present administration to apologise is not

27104-401: The streets to demonstrate public support for his position in mass rallies. The press took the side of the government. A large minority of Malays, including conservative UMNO politicians, and an even larger proportion of the Chinese community supported the Sultans. After five months, the crisis was resolved, as Mahathir and the Sultans agreed to a compromise. The Agong retained the power to declare

27280-455: The tribunal could not be heard. The tribunal later removed Tun Salleh Abas from his office, whereas the other three judges were later reinstated. The irregular dismissal of Tun Salleh Abas led the Bar Council of Malaysia to refuse recognising the new Lord President. A major critic to Mahathir's actions include Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman . In a New York Times article, he

27456-402: The two having met in medical college. He returned to Alor Setar in 1957 to establish his practice, Maha Clinic. He was the town's first Malay physician and a successful one. He built a large house, invested in various businesses, and employed a Chinese man to chauffeur him in his Pontiac Catalina (most chauffeurs at the time were Malay). After World War II ended and the Japanese withdrew,

27632-424: The two journalists mentioned earlier had begun when John Berthelsen and Raphael Pura authored a series of articles on financial transactions of dubious ethical and legal nature carried out by government officials. The Asian Wall Street Journal which published them was promptly banned from the country, and Mahathir in his capacity as Home Affairs Minister had Berthelsen's and Pura's work permits revoked. However,

27808-499: The two most powerful men other than him were Ismail Abdul Rahman and Ghazali Shafie , who had declared the Westminster-style Parliamentary system inappropriate for Malaysia. Tun Razak also readmitted to the party "ultras" who had been expelled, like Mahathir and Musa Hitam. Mahathir gained notoriety after his expulsion from UMNO by authoring The Malay Dilemma , a book promptly banned from Malaysia, which posited that

27984-654: Was a dominating political figure, winning five consecutive general elections and fending off rivals for UMNO's leadership. He continued pro- bumiputera policies, and oversaw Malaysia's relatively fast recovery from the 1997 Asian financial crisis . Critics argue that he centralized power by undermining judicial independence and supported a constitutional amendment to remove legal immunity for royalty . In 1987, he detained various activists and religious figures under Operation Lalang , and in 1998, had his deputy Anwar Ibrahim arrested. His record of authoritarianism and curtailment of civil liberties strained relationships with

28160-538: Was a significant enough slight to delay his entry into national politics in protest. He contested in the following general election in 1964, and was elected as the federal parliamentarian for the Alor Setar-based seat of Kota Setar Selatan . Elected to parliament in a volatile political period, Mahathir, as a backbencher , launched himself into the main conflict of the day: Singapore 's future, with its large and economically powerful ethnic Chinese population , as

28336-937: Was accompanied by the NEP's replacement, the National Development Policy (NDP), under which some government programs designed to benefit the bumiputera exclusively were opened up to other ethnicities. The NDP achieved one of its main aims — poverty reduction. By 1995, less than nine per cent of Malaysians lived in poverty, and income inequality had narrowed. Mahathir also introduced the Bangsa Malaysia policy, which aimed to facilitate greater representation of non-Malay ethnicities in Malaysia . Mahathir's government cut corporate taxes and liberalised financial regulations to attract foreign investment. The economy grew by over nine per cent per annum until 1998, prompting other developing countries to emulate Mahathir's policies. Much credit for Malaysia's economic development in

28512-416: Was almost entirely composed of Team A members, who proceeded to spend the next few months transferring the assets of the "old" UMNO to UMNO Baru. The UMNO 11 pursued their case to the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court, still seeking to hold new elections for the "old" UMNO and having its lawful status restored. However, their appeal was rejected. Razaleigh then decided to form a new party focused on

28688-565: Was also the incumbent Deputy President of UMNO seeking re-election, as well as Datuk Suhaimi Kamaruddin , the former head of UMNO Youth and president of the Belia 4B youth organisation. Team B was critical of Mahathir's policies, arguing that the Malaysian New Economic Policy had failed to benefit the poor Malays. It also criticised Mahathir's leadership style, alleging he acted unilaterally without consulting other leaders in UMNO and

28864-412: Was born at his parents' home in a poor neighbourhood at Lorong Kilang Ais, Alor Setar , in the capital of the Malay sultanate of Kedah under a British protectorate , on 10 July 1925. Mahathir's mother, Wan Tempawan Wan Hanapi, was a Malay from Kedah. His father, Mohamad Iskandar, was from Penang of Malay and Indian descent. Mahathir's paternal grandfather had come from Kerala , British India . He

29040-522: Was born with six half-siblings and two full-siblings. His childhood home, with a single shared bedroom and no electricity supply, was later converted to a tourist attraction and opened to the public. Mahathir began his education at Seberang Perak Malay Boys School, Alor Setar, Kedah in 1930. Mahathir was a hard-working student. Discipline imposed by his father motivated him to study, and he showed little interest in sports. Having become fluent in English well ahead of his primary school peers, including editing

29216-432: Was brought before a tribunal convened by the then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad on the grounds of misconduct. The tribunal was chaired by Tun Hamid Omar. In response to the tribunal, Tun Salleh Abas filed a suit in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to challenge the constitutionality of the tribunal. While proceeding with the suit, Tun Salleh Abas applied for an interim stay against the tribunal until 4 July 1988. The request

29392-421: Was denied. Later however, five judges of the Supreme Court convened and granted Tun Salleh Abas an interlocutory order against the tribunal. Upon receiving the order, Tun Salleh Abas' solicitors proceed to the Parliament to present the chairman of the tribunal the interlocutory order. The gate leading to the Parliament however was locked and Tun Salleh Abas' representative had to call in the police to be guaranteed

29568-499: Was ended when Suharto replaced Sukarno as president. The Philippines, which had withdrawn diplomatic recognition from Malaysia, also recognised Malaysia around the same time. To reflect the change of name to Malaysia, UMNO's coalition partners promptly altered their names to the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Malaysian Indian Congress . Several political parties in East Malaysia, especially Sarawak, also joined

29744-411: Was here. He's the main person affected by all this. It's a different case from the others (Salleh and Wan Suleiman) because he was reinstated. It's been 12 years. It should have been solved earlier." Tun Salleh Abas however welcomed Abdullah's statement, saying: "I feel great. It was something I didn't expect. I suffered so much humiliation ... so much so I ran away from the public and took solace in being

29920-412: Was not a candidate in the 1959 election , ruling himself out following a disagreement with then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman . Their relationship had been strained since Mahathir had criticised Tunku's agreement to retain British and Commonwealth forces in Malaya after independence. Tunku opposed Mahathir's plans to introduce minimum educational qualifications for UMNO candidates. For Mahathir, this

30096-399: Was only lifted in 1981 under Mahathir's premiership. Academics R. S. Milne and Diane K. Mauzy argue that Mahathir's relentless attacks were the principal cause of Tunku Abdul Rahman's downfall and subsequent resignation as prime minister in 1970. Tunku's successor Abdul Razak Hussein encouraged Mahathir to return to UMNO and appointed him Senator for Kedah in 1973. Mahathir rose quickly in

30272-443: Was said to be "disgusted" at the actions. His views however were criticised by the then Education Minister, Anwar Ibrahim , who claimed that the Tunku was ″a grand old man who has done his bit.″ Mahathir's supporters insisted that it had liberated the Malaysian judiciary from a colonial mindset. The sacking of several justices was justified by claims that these judges had been abusing public funds for their personal expenses – such as

30448-412: Was set as 31 August 1957 on the condition that an independent commission is set up to draft a constitution for the country. The Alliance government was also required to avoid seizing British and other foreign assets in Malaya. A defence treaty would also be signed. The Reid Commission , led by Lord William Reid , was formed to draft the constitution. Although enshrining concepts such as federalism and

30624-400: Was sworn in as prime minister on 16 July 1981, at the age of 56. He was the first commoner to hold that office. In an interview, Mahathir remarked that major power rivalry in Southeast Asia is dangerous, but "on the other hand, a lack of U.S. interest is also problematic. It creates the impression that Russia can act as it pleases." One of his first acts was to release 21 detainees held under

30800-433: Was the anointed successor to the prime ministership. Mahathir is regarded as having been a successful Minister for Education and then Minister for Trade and Industry (1978–81). In the latter post, he implemented a "heavy industries policy", establishing a HICOM , a government-controlled corporation, to invest in the long-term development of manufacturing sectors such as an indigenous car industry. He spent much of his time in

30976-401: Was the first prime minister that was not born into the aristocracy or a prominent religious or political family. Mohamad Iskandar was the principal of an English-medium secondary school, whose lower-middle-class status meant his daughters were unable to enrol in a secondary school. Wan Tempawan had only distant relations to members of Kedah's royalty. Both had been married previously. Mahathir

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