ASEAN Beat | Society | Southeast Asia

The Woman Who Held Mahathir’s Hand For 70 Years

Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, who died this week aged 100, was a close companion of Mahathir throughout his long and tumultuous political career.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali attend Mahathir’s 100th birthday celebration at the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya, Malaysia, July 10, 2025.

Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali had just one complaint about her husband, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad: that he was very shy about holding her hand in public. The man, who remained loyal and faithful to her for more than 70 years, felt a little embarrassed about showing his love for the Malay girl he met at King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore in 1947.

On Mahathir’s 93rd birthday, in an interview with Channel NewsAsia conducted by 10-year-old Kashika Selvam, Siti Hasmah narrated a funny incident about holding hands. She said that he was so shy that once, while driving through a highway toll booth, he pulled back his hand because he didn’t want the toll operator to see them holding hands.

Mahathir ruled Malaysia ruthlessly between 1981 and 2003, during which his critics and detractors were the subjects of sometimes furious political vendettas.

But when it comes to his fidelity and faithfulness to Siti Hasmah, even his critics cannot raise a finger against him.

At home, Mahathir was a loyal husband and an affectionate father, thanks in large part to Siti Hasmah. His daughter, Marina Mahathir, says her mother insisted that the siblings show their love and affection for each other openly by hugging and kissing.

Unlike many other politicians’ wives, Siti Hasmah’s conduct in public never gave a hint that she was the prime minister’s wife. Narrating a poignant incident in the 2019 documentary “M for Malaysia,” Siti Hasmah says: “I was taking my husband to the hospital, not the Prime Minister of Malaysia,” when Mahathir suffered a heart attack in 1989. Like any other devoted spouse, she........

© The Diplomat