The most unforgettable character Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad A:Let us talk about the most unforgettable character in Malaysia.

B:Who do you think qualify for this title? C:He must be Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. D:You are right. Having served the country from 1981 until 2003, he had made many contributions to the country. A:Let me give you some history about him. He was born in Alor Setar, Kedah on 22 December, 1925. Mahathir was a hard-working school student. C:I read that discipline imposed by his father motivated him to study, and he showed little interest in sports. He won a position in a selective English medium secondary school, having become fluent in English well ahead of his primary school peers. B:I can add to that. After receiving his early education at Seberang Perai Malay School, he continued his education at the Government English School which later became the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Alor Setar. D:You will not believe this. With schools closed during the Japanese occupation of Malaya in World War II, he went into small business, first selling coffee and later pisang goreng(banana fritters) and other snacks. C:I certainly cannot imagine that. In 1947, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad left for Singapore to read medicine at King Edward VII Medical College. He obtained his medical degree in 1953. A: In college he met his future wife, Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, a fellow medical student. After Mahathir graduated, he worked as a doctor in government service before marrying Siti Hasmah in 1956 and returning to Alor Setar the following year to set up his own practice. B:He was the pride of the locals as he was the town's first Malay doctor, 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 C:Something important for us to note. Most chauffeurs at the time were Malay. He and Siti Hasmah had their first child, Marina, in 1957, before conceiving three others and adopting three more over the following 28 years. D:Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad joined UMNO in 1945 at the young age of 20. Then he competed in the election, winning the Kota Setar parliamentary seat in 1964. C:Do you what happened next? He served one term before losing his seat, before falling out with the then Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman and being expelled from UMNO. B:My father told me that when Abdul Rahman resigned, Mahathir re-entered UMNO and the parliament, and was promoted to the Cabinet. D:He is very talented. Next, he rejoined UMNO on 7 March 1972. He was appointed the Education Minister in the cabinet and won the Kubang Pasu seat in the 1974 general election. B:Wow, you guys really know about his history. He continued to progress in his political career as he continued to contribute strongly to the country in his post. C:Unsurprisingly, a year later, he became the vice-president of UMNO. D:I read in the history book that unfortunately, when Tun Abdul Razak passed away, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became the Deputy Prime Minister. In 1981 he succeeded as the UMNO president and the Prime Minister, a glorious achievement after the resignation of his predecessor, Hussein Onn

A:He started many development programmes to push Malaysia on a progressive path of success. Many of the developments that we see in our country can be attributed to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamads determined effort to put Malaysia on the world map. B:He even overcame the economic crisis in 1998. Hopefully, we, Malaysians can help to realise his vision that is for Malaysia to be a developed country by 2020. C:Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has undoubtedly made Malaysia renowned/famous all over the world. He has won admiration from all the leaders in the world for leading Malaysia to achieve so many amazing successes such as building the Petronas Twin Towers, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the Sepang Racing Track and the North-South Highway. D: Tun Dr.Mahathir also oversaw the establishment of the car manufacturer Proton as a joint venture between the Malaysian government and Mitsubishi. By the end of the 1980s, Proton had overcome poor demand and losses to become, with the support of protective tariffs, the largest car maker in Southeast Asia and a profitable enterprise. A: Also, Tun Dr.Mahathir initiated a series of major infrastructure projects in the 1990s. One of the largest was the Multimedia Super Corridor, an area south of Kuala Lumpur, in the mould of Silicon Valley, designed to cater for the information technology industry. B: For his efforts to promote the economic development of the country, Mahathir has been granted the title of Bapa Pemodenan meaning the Father of Modernization. C: Mahathir's official residence, Sri Perdana, where he resided from 23 August 1983 to 18 October 1999, was turned into a museum. My family and visited it last year. I was very impressed by what I saw there. D:I hope my parents will take us there the next time we visit Kuala Lumpur. A:I was told that in keeping with the principle of heritage conservation, the original design and layout of the Sri Perdana has been preserved. B:Are his children as successful as he is? C:They are quite successful in their own right though not as famous. D: Among Mahathir's children, both Mukhriz and Mokhzani[ are involved in business as well as in politics while their eldest daughter Marina is a prominent local writer and AIDS activist. A:I have read her articles in the Star. She is a good writer. B:Even now, Tun Dr Mahathir remains quite a colourful figure, always not shy about making his opinions known. C:Some of his comments and articles are quite radical, inviting much criticism. A:That is why he is such an unforgettable character. You just have to admire him for his audacity to speak out his mind. B:He has even gained the respect from foreign dignitaries. Among the Third World leaders he commands great respect since he is brave to stand up to even the president of the USA. C:We certainly need more leaders like him to lead us on a path of success. D:Today we are all reaping the benefits of his wonderful endeavours to bring unparalleled success to the country.