Mahathir bin Mohamad (born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, from 1981 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2020, making him the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history with a cumulative 24 years in office. Born in Alor Setar, Kedah, in British Malaya, he trained as a doctor, graduating with an MBBS from the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore. Entering politics in the 1940s through protests against Malayan Union citizenship policies, he rose through the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), becoming a parliamentarian and eventually prime minister. Under his first tenure, dubbed the 'Father of Modernisation,' he oversaw Malaysia's rapid industrialization, economic growth via Vision 2020, infrastructure development like the Petronas Towers, and controversial policies favoring Bumiputera (ethnic Malays) economic privileges. His leadership transformed Malaysia into an emerging economy but was marked by authoritarian tendencies, including media censorship, the 1988 judicial crisis, and sacking of Deputy PM Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 amid sodomy allegations. Mahathir's career spans over 75 years, including a brief second stint as prime minister at age 92 to oust Najib Razak amid the 1MDB scandal, before resigning in 2020 amid coalition fractures. He has been a vocal advocate for developing nations, founding the Earth Summit and criticizing Western dominance. However, he is notorious for antisemitic rhetoric, including a 2003 speech at the Organisation of Islamic Conference claiming 'Jews rule the world by proxy,' drawing condemnation from the World Jewish Congress and others; he has reiterated controversial views on Jewish influence. An ethnic Malay Muslim, Mahathir authored books like 'The Malay Dilemma,' critiquing Malay complacency. At 99 years old in 2024, he remains politically active, forming coalitions like Gerakan Tanah Air in 2022.