KUALA LUMPUR: The birthday wishes must have been non-stop for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The birthdate in his identity card shows a date in December. But his actual birthday is today, July 10.
At 94, the prime minister is enjoying another peak in his political career. As we all know, Dr Mahathir, a.k.a. the comeback kid, who recorded world history on May 9 last year, is not over-excited about his birthday today.
The workaholic in him dictates his routine on this special day — it is work as usual. I suspect his colleagues would have arranged a birthday cake or pulut kuning for him.
Once the cake, or pulut kuning, is cut and shared with all those present, you can bet your last ringgit that it’s back to work again. Dr Mahathir is not one to dwell for a long time on his birthday.
A little bit of reminiscing may be alright. But to this man, work has always been a priority. And getting things done has always been his hallmark. You don’t have to agree with him, but you can’t ignore his views nor can you be indifferent to his words or deeds.
Dr Mahathir is not one to wait for your compliments. I’m told that he’s a rather shy person, but I believe he has long shed his shyness. This trait may have been so, once upon a time.
But as a prime minister, there is not a trace of that shy streak in a man who told off the British during that “Buy British Last” policy in the early 1980s.
That piece of news made the front pages of major newspapers here and abroad. I recalled waiting for him at the Lake Gardens one cold morning asking him to confirm the news about the policy.
He said yes; and he made it to page one again, here and abroad.
It is not lost on many of us that Dr Mahathir is not one to conform, let alone take the easy way out of any difficult situation. Perhaps his training as a medical doctor makes him very practical and pragmatic when facing difficult situations.
In that “Buy British Last” policy, Dr Mahathir said he announced the decision even before informing the cabinet. But it was a decision which his cabinet backed all the way.
And there is a near similarity to his recent announcement of Latheefa Koya as the new head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
Some of you may recall that his “Buy British Last” policy in 1981 was his way of countering the British government’s decision to increase tuition fees for Malaysian students studying in the United Kingdom. The increase was from £300 to £900, a three-fold jump!
Dr Mahathir also took back Carcosa Hill, where the residence of the British High Commissioner was located. Our first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, had given the hill to the British after independence as a sign of good faith.
The newsmen in us had a field day. There was never a day when news about Malaysia-UK relations were not in the news. It was the same in the UK too. Relations soured for quite a while.
Then came the official invitation from British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for her Malaysian counterpart to visit Britain as her guest. Senior editors and journalists who covered the visit recalled flying in the British Airways aircraft to London with a “Welcome Dr Mahathir Mohamad” head rest cover on all the seats.
Nice wasn’t it? Dr Mahathir is a firm believer that one has to shout at times to be heard, especially when one represents a small, developing country.
Frank discussions between the two leaders saw a return to better days again. The British government launched a fund to help Malaysian students studying in the UK and Malaysia offered Britain a new piece of land to replace Carcosa Hill.
Malaysia-UK relations were back on track, culminating in Malaysia hosting two world events — the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Langkawi in 1989; and Kuala Lumpur hosting the Commonwealth Games in 1998.
Dr Mahathir had this to say about Thatcher: “I had a good working relationship with her. Malaysians should remember that she came to Kuala Lumpur three times. No other British PM, before or since, has done this.
“Tony Blair never came during his 10-year term at Downing Street. Thatcher was a realist with regard to Malaysia, unlike her predecessors or successors.”
One wonders what Dr Mahathir would wish for his birthday when he blows out the candles on his birthday cake. I won’t hazard a guess. But it must be about his passionate desire to see a Malaysia that is united, prosperous, caring and able to stand as an equal in the world community of nations.
Let us all wish Che Det many happy returns of the day. Even at 94, it is not improper, I feel, to wish the prime minister to be all that he can be!
Ride, cycle, drive, read — that’s what you love right Mr Prime Minister? And lead, of course. Enjoy the rest of the day.