PUBLISHED ONJuly 10, 2025 5:21 AMBYSean LerMalaysia's longest serving prime minister, who served a total of 24 years across two separate terms, turned 100 on Thursday (Jul 10).
The centenarian continues to defy age with his relentless work ethic and continued engagement in global affairs - in June, for instance, Mahathir travelled to Japan to attend the annual Nikkei conference.
The former two-time prime minister - from 1981 to 2003, and from 2018 to 2020 - is also known for being active on social media, even crossing 100,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel earlier in July.
In a Facebook post on Thursday morning, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong wished Mahathir happy birthday, and also extended his well-wishes to Mahathir's wife Dr Siti Hasmah who turns 99 on Jul 12.
"Tun Mahathir was a seminal leader who shaped Malaysia into what it is today - a modern, globally connected, and successful country," said SM Lee in his post.
SM Lee added that Singapore and Malaysia have long shared a deep and multifaceted relationship and that despite the differences on some issues, both countries "have always worked together to overcome differences and find common ground".
"My predecessors and I appreciated the opportunity to work closely with Tun Mahathir.
"We made progress on many matters during our respective terms as Prime Minister, something which our successors will continue to work on," added SM Lee.
For now, Mahathir does not seem to be slowing down.
In a recent interview with CNA, Mahathir said that although it "is a little bit frightening" to turn 100, he is fortunate to not have been "attacked by other serious diseases".
Mahathir said that "people seem to be expecting a lot of things" from him, but added that whether he "can deliver or not is something else".
While the interview did not reveal what these expectations were, Mahathir said in a separate interview with The Straits Times (ST) that "17 years were wasted" after he stepped down, simply because his successors "were not focused on growing the economy", but instead on "making full use of their positions as prime ministers" for their own benefit.
The former Malaysian leader who is known to show up at his Putrajaya office five days a week looks set to continue with being a workaholic for now, telling ST that he will turn up for work as usual and "wouldn't even take a holiday".
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