“Free press is not absolute. In this country, we say clearly if you start stirring up racial hatred, then we will put a stop to it. We might even close down your paper, because these things can only lead to a lot of riots and bloodshed.”

Malaysian politician, physician and author

Mahathir Mohamad is a Malaysian politician, physician and author, born in 1925. He served as prime minister of Malaysia twice, from 1981 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2020, and became the country’s longest-serving prime minister. His public life has stretched across more than seven decades, beginning with protests in the 1940s and continuing into recent politics. During his years in office, he was known for reshaping Malaysia’s economy and infrastructure, a legacy that earned him the title “Father of Modernisation.”