Putrajaya, Malaysia – Celebrating his 100th birthday earlier this year, Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad marked the milestone with his lifelong routine of discipline: working tirelessly, eating sparingly, and staying mentally and physically active.
“The main thing is that I work all the time. I don’t rest myself,” Mahathir told Al Jazeera. “Keep your mind and body active, then you live longer.” From his office in Putrajaya, he spent his centenary penning thoughts on Malaysia’s economy, politics, and world events, particularly the crisis in Gaza.
Mahathir warned that Israel’s actions in Gaza, which have claimed nearly 66,000 Palestinian lives, would be remembered for generations. “Gaza is terrible. They killed pregnant mothers, babies, young people, men and women… How can this be forgotten?” he said, likening the killings to genocides in Bosnia in the 1990s and the Holocaust during World War II. Despite his long-standing support for the Palestinian cause, Mahathir emphasized the need for a two-state solution, though he admitted he would not live to see it implemented.
A political powerhouse who survived three heart attacks and returned to office at age 92, Mahathir served a combined 24 years as Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister. Born in 1925 in the then-British colony of Malaya, he transformed Malaysia from an agricultural economy into a modern industrial state, with landmarks like the Petronas Towers symbolizing its growth.
Even at 100, Mahathir remains sharp and vocal. He recalled visiting China in the 1970s, when it was still poor, and marveled at its rise today. “It will take China 10 years to catch up with America. After that, China will overtake America,” he predicted, citing China’s huge domestic market and industrious population.
He also critiqued the United States under Donald Trump, arguing that high wages and inefficiencies would prevent America from competing globally if production returned home. “American workers cannot do that. Anything produced in America will be costly,” he said.
Despite his age, Mahathir walks unaided, exercises daily, goes to work, receives visitors, and even travels internationally for speaking engagements. His advice for longevity: “Stay active and don’t eat so much. When the food tastes nice, stop eating,” a lesson from his mother that has guided him through a century of life.