Dr M is the man

> Many Malaysians are being brought to shame by the energy and stamina of our nonagenarian prime minister

and said: “But you are looking very, very good”, in reference to my elephantine physique.

That’s the wit of Dr Mahathir, a man who has made Malaysians proud. We can take pride in having the world’s oldest prime minister (and a very wellrespected one, too).

I doubt other countries’ heads of state can match his record, which came about with the most thoughful decision that most Malaysian voters made on May 9.

I’m sure many fence-sitters, and those who could not vote because of some technical issues with the Election Commission, would have agreed that it was a great decision.

I’ve a lot of faith in Dr Mahathir. Wasn’t he the one who started the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)? And wasn’t it Dr Mahathir who cautioned Malaysians not to be just passive users of the internet, but to create profitable services and products?

Just looked at what China entrepreneur Jack Ma has done with Alibaba.

I’m still in awe that the visionary Ma revealed that he was inspired by what Dr Mahathir did with the MSC for him (Ma) to eventually create Alibaba. Can you beat that?

Dr Mahathir’s initiatives with less developed countries also received much attention in the 1980s and 90s. Those days, you’d often meet foreigners who may not be conversant in English, but who still want to chat with you after learning you were from Malaysia. Inevitably, the name of Dr Mahathir would crop up!

Now with Dr Mahathir pursuing many matters of great national importance at 93, I’m just concerned if the age limit for benefits for retirees, such as discounted prices for train travel, buffet meals and cinema tickets, will be raised to 90 years instead of 60.

Oops! I better stop thinking and acting like a lazy old man, and be more purposeful like our prime minister!

Jeff Yong, after making his mark in the twisty maze of mainstream journalism, has finally decided to enjoy what he does best – observing the unusual and recounting the gleeful. He can be contacted at lifestyle.borak@ gmail.com.