Today, July 10, is Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s birthday.

Here is how I would like my children to remember him – both as a dignified and pragmatic Malay.

I admire Mahathir, affectionately referred to as Dr M or Tun M, for five things.

Firstly, as a Malay, he has shown many times that he would never put his race first, second or last.

Many Malay leaders tend to say they are Malay first, but Mahathir isn’t one of them.

Of course, people would always remind me of his words calling out others as “pendatang” – a word that means immigrant, but is often used disparagingly against non-Malays – and his recent statements suggesting that Malaysia “belongs” to the Malays, but, to me, these have been just in the course of politics.

Mahathir has shown that he could rise beyond race to work together with others – even with DAP, a party he has vilified on many occasions in the past.

Mahathir proved time and again that in order to be a true political animal, you need to work with whomever for as long as it takes, and once that is over he would revert to being their enemy.

That is an adaptability that most influencers, columnists and political analysts fail to appreciate.

The fact that Mahathir wanted to destroy Umno during his second stint as prime minister in 2018 shows that he is indifferent to the party’s slogan – “Umno Dulu, Kini dan Selamanya”.

To him, unlike most Umno members, being Malay and being in Umno was the attire you wear for the appropriate occasion, but not all the time.

Mahathir is also the only Malay leader to lament that Malays had squandered their chance to develop, and, in his later years, rued the crutch he gave them.

Of course, he would turn around and say other races had overwhelmed this country with their hardworking ways and that Malays must unite against this eventuality. Again, that has always been just politics.

Secondly, I have never known Mahathir to manipulate Islam in the way PAS has done since 2017.

Occasionally, he would make reference to alcohol and pork, but I have not seen him declare people as “kafir” (infidels) or enemies of Islam.

One of the most admirable things about Mahathir is his criticism of hudud laws which conservatives have long pushed for. He would simply say that a person would not be able to make a living if you chopped off their hand.

If anyone else said such a thing, they would probably be sent to prison. But Mahathir has often made such statements in his simplistic and concise style, something even universities and professors in the modern age are too cowardly or narrow-minded to take up.

Mahathir’s “Look East” policy yet again sees him stand out from among the nation’s other prime ministers.

Although the Japanese had invaded and caused hardship in Malaya during World War II, this did not stop the practical-minded Mahathir from trying to sow that country’s work ethic into the Malay mindset.

Had Mahathir done so today, he may well have been branded a “kafir” (infidel) and disloyal by most social media influencers, preachers and politicians.

Unfortunately, the policy had limited success, with the Malays reverting to and harping on their special privileges instead of striving to improve their work ethic.

Mahathir was not afraid to stand his ground when dealing with the royals, and I recall him being daring enough to raise certain issues in public speeches even in their presence.

I had the unique experience of being present on one such occasion as an academic at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, when he was conferred an honorary doctorate. I still remember how he spoke flawlessly, confidently and bravely, even in the presence of royalty.

Now, that was an image I will never forget. Mahathir, an ordinary hardworking and educated Malay, has never cowered to history and heritage.

The final thing that I admire about Mahathir is his voracious appetite for reading and writing.

Everyone says you have to be knowledgeable when engaging Mahathir on any particular issue.

Mahathir is the first prime minister to have an official librarian and a foundation to study issues.

He is also a master “historian” who uses his knowledge of the past to advocate on policies and interpret political manoeuvrings.

Although I disagree with him on a number of issues, he and Umno founder Onn Jaafar remain two of my favourite politicians.

Happy birthday Tun M.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.