Prime Minister Reign of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. Arguably he was no ordinary leader and many called him a “leader extraordinaire”.

It was inevitable that he eventually joined politics. He became Member of Parliament in 1964. However, he lost his seat in the subsequent General Election in 1969. Owing to his keen interest in the country’s education, he was appointed Chairman of the first Higher Education Council in 1968, Member of the Higher Education Advisory Council in 1972, Member of the University Court and University Malaya Council, and Chairman of the National University Council in 1974.

In 1981, Tun Dr. Mahathir was appointed as a president of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), one of the ruling party of Barisan Nasional. Under his leadership, the Barisan Nasional won landslide victories in the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995 and 1999 General Elections.

As prime minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir’s thoughts and ideas were put to the test. It was during Tun’s time that Malaysia experienced rapid economic growth and achieve modernization on par with some of the developed and industrial countries of the world. There is no doubt now that science played an important contributing role in that resounding socio-economic success.