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      • American Samoa
      • Armenia
      • Australia
      • Azerbaijan
      • Bahrain
      • Bangladesh
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • Central Asia
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cyprus
      • East Asia
      • East Timor
      • Fiji
      • French Polynesia
      • Georgia
      • Guam
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      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Jordan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kiribati
      • Kuwait
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Laos
      • Lebanon
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Maldives
      • Marshall Islands
      • Micronesia
      • Mongolia
    • Column Three
      • Myanmar
      • Nauru
      • Nepal
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
      • Niue
      • North Korea
      • Northern Marianas
      • Oceania
      • Oman
      • Pakistan
      • Palau
      • Palestine
      • Papua New Guinea
      • Philippines
      • Qatar
      • Samoa
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • Solomon Islands
    • Column Four
      • South Asia
      • Southeast Asia
      • South Korea
      • Sri Lanka
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Tajikistan
      • Thailand
      • Tibet
      • Tokelau
      • Tonga
      • Turkey
      • Turkmenistan
      • Tuvalu
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Uzbekistan
      • Vanuatu
      • Vietnam
      • Wallis and Futuna
      • West Asia
      • Yemen
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Asia In-Depth Podcast: Revisiting Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad

March 5th, 2020
Mahathir Mohamad

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad addresses an Asia Society New York audience on September 26, 2018.


Ellen Wallop/Asia Society

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On February 29, following a week of intense jockeying for power, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed was ousted by Malaysia’s king and replaced by Muhyiddin Yassin, a veteran nationalist politician. But Mahathir — who is 94 — seems unwilling to go down without a fight. He has threatened a vote of no confidence against Yassin when Malaysia’s parliament reconvenes on March 9th.

A contemporary of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew and Indonesia’s Soeharto, Mahathir Mohamad is a towering figure in modern Southeast Asian history. Trained as a physician, he has been active in Malaysian politics since before the country became independent in 1957. Mahathir first served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, and during that time he played an instrumental role in driving Malaysia’s economic development. 

It was something of a shock when he returned to power — at the tender age of 92 — in May 2018. In this episode of Asia In-Depth, we revisit a conversation that Mahathir had that September at Asia Society New York with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Their conversation touches upon a number of issues central to Malaysian politics, from domestic corruption to the country’s relationship with its neighbors. 

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About the Author

Profile picture for user Matt Schiavenza

Matt Schiavenza is the Assistant Director of Content at Asia Society and Senior Editor of Asia Society Magazine. His work has appeared at The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, The New Republic, The Wire China, and strategy + business among other publications.

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