I still admire Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

I am just one of the many ardent admirers within and outside Malaysia. The man, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. Ain't my friend or I am a stranger to him is rather irrelevant for the fact that he had long ago stolen my attention with his extraordinary vision. When he became the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia on 16 July 1981, I was in my first year of college and affairs of my country was rather absence from my mind. It was only in 1984 that I had got a good 1-metre close look at Tun and his wife Toh Puan Hasmah while they were walking in Plaza Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. There was no awareness that the late Tun Syed Ahmad Shahabuddin assumed the governorship of Malacca in the same year, 1984. I was then renting a room in Jalan Alor and taking an evening stroll after dinner within Plaza Bukit Bintang and Sungai Wang Plaza had became a norm. But then, the whole encounter was put aside.

In the same year, TV3 started to entertain me with nice programmes and the following year, 1985, Proton, made me proud. So TV3 and Proton have encouraged me to keep abreast of Tun. I listened to his speeches. I learned his words. I watched his gestures. I knew he is going to do something great for Malaysia. To turn an entire agricultural-based economy into an industrial powerhouse, depend only among the few, but to do so in 22 years, he is a rare leader. I still remember the night when two Malays men interviewed me at my working place in Petaling Jaya sometime in late 1990. They asked, "What are the elements for a good public vision ?" Of a handful few, what can't be deleted from my memory is, "A Caring Society". To be my surprise, when Vision 2020 was launched in 1991, I discovered that "A Caring Society" is one of the ten elements.

When I began last year to construct a Facebook for old friends, I selected "A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad" as my favourite book. At the same time, I saw this book on display on the shelf of a book store. I told myself, "I must buy this book ". That was last March. I waited one year. I bought the book today !

With 62 chapters, you will find "Becoming Prime Minister" in Chapter 1 and "Vision 2020" in Chapter 45.