KUALA LUMPUR: The wife of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says her name was never "Siti Hasmah".
"I am not a Siti. I was not born as Siti Hasmah. I was born just plain Hasmah," said Tun Dr Hasmah Mohamad Ali in an interview with Consultant Gastroenterologist at Prince Court Medical Centre Datuk Dr Ryan Ponnudurai.
The impromptu interview was part of Dr Ponnudurai's Coffee with Ryan podcast, which also featured Dr Mahathir.
Explaining how she came to be known as "Siti", the 98-year-old said some "smart people" gave her the name when the family was transferred back from Alor Star, Kedah to KL city.
"So here was Siti Nur Haliza, Siti this, Siti that, so they just put Siti in from of my name.
"I'm not, I'm just plain Dr Hasmah."
She said she hopes people would not refer to her as Siti.
Mahathir, 99, and Hasmah have been married for 68 years.
They moved to Alor Star after getting married before moving to KL.
She is the first Malaysian woman to be appointed a medical officer in the Maternal and Child Health Department.
She is also the first Malaysian woman to be appointed a state Maternal and Child Health Officer.