OPINION | Why is Mahathir concerned about how or why PN chooses its PM candidate?

OPINION | Why is Mahathir concerned about how or why PN chooses its PM candidate?


19 Sep 2025 • 7:30 AM MYT


TheRealNehruism
Writer. Seeker. Teacher

Image credit: Malay Mail


When PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang declared that Malaysia’s prime minister should be healthy and under 70, most people assumed he was firing a shot across Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s bow. At 77, Muhyiddin is the obvious target.


But then, as if on cue, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad — Malaysia’s twice-returned, twice-retired elder statesman — decided to weigh in. At exactly 100 years of age, Mahathir issued a statement on his social media page to remind everyone that there is no point fighting to be prime minister if your party cannot first win 112 seats in Parliament.


On the surface, it looked like grandfatherly advice. But politics is rarely so innocent. The timing of his remarks has raised eyebrows: why would Mahathir, who isn’t even part of Perikatan Nasional (PN), suddenly feel the need to warn against premature PM selections? Was he, in fact, responding to Hadi — or simply reminding the country that he, too, is not quite done with the prime ministerial conversation?
Mahathir’s Old Tune, Sung Anew

In his September 17 note, Mahathir struck a familiar chord: “Don’t rush to name a prime minister candidate. First, win 112 seats. Only then should the choice be made. After victory, everyone with talent can compete for the job.”


It’s a noble-sounding point, except that Mahathir himself spent decades maneuvering behind the scenes to be both prime minister and kingmaker long before votes were cast. For him to now scold others for “rushing” to claim the top spot is, at best, ironic. At worst, it is a thinly veiled attempt to leave the door ajar for himself.

Because if the message is that the race isn’t over until after the election, then technically Mahathir has not ruled himself out — even at 100.

Hadi’s Remark Hits a Nerve

Hadi, of course, has since claimed that his “under 70” remark was only about himself. But the fallout shows how sensitive the topic of age has become in Malaysian politics. Muhyiddin’s health issues are well known, but Mahathir’s century-old presence in the room is impossible to ignore.


That Mahathir felt compelled to respond at all shows that Hadi’s remark cut deeper than he intended. For all of Mahathir’s dismissals of ambition, his statement betrays the fact that he still wants to be part of the game — if not as candidate, then at least as referee.

PN’s Moment of Truth

Meanwhile, PN is set to finally confront the question next week. The coalition’s supreme council will meet to decide its candidate for Malaysia’s 11th prime minister. Muhyiddin has already said that PAS, as the largest party in PN, has the right to nominate anyone it wishes, whether for the PN chairmanship or the premiership.



PAS Youth has openly demanded that the party take the lead. Its spiritual leader, Datuk Hashim Jasin, has endorsed the move. For Bersatu, that spells trouble: the days of Muhyiddin being the undisputed choice are clearly over.


Muhyiddin insists relations between PAS and Bersatu are “very close.” That may be true, but in politics, closeness is always conditional. Once the question of power arises — and nothing embodies power like the prime ministership — friendships can dissolve quickly.

The Mahathir Shadow

Into this already complicated mix, Mahathir’s voice has re-emerged. His statement does not directly endorse anyone, but its subtext is clear: don’t settle too early, don’t crown anyone yet, keep the game open.


That message could help PAS, which wants the field left undecided until it can exert maximum pressure. It could weaken Muhyiddin, who needs clarity to stay relevant. And it could, just maybe, leave space for Mahathir himself — the perennial survivor who has outlasted every generation of politician around him.


Is it absurd to think that a 100-year-old man still entertains the dream of being prime minister? Perhaps. But it was equally absurd to imagine, back in 2018, that a 92-year-old would return to office — and yet Mahathir did exactly that.

A Country Trapped by Its Pas

The sadder truth is that Mahathir’s intervention highlights how Malaysian politics remains shackled to its aging warlords. At a time when the country desperately needs younger, more visionary leadership, the national conversation is once again revolving around men in their seventies, eighties, and now even hundreds.


Hadi’s remark was supposed to mark a generational shift. Instead, it has exposed the stubborn grip of old faces on the political stage. Even when they are physically diminished, their shadow looms.


As PN meets next week, the coalition will have to decide whether it wants to gamble on a familiar name or genuinely chart a new path. And the rest of us are left to watch the spectacle of Mahathir, at 100, still reminding everyone that he is not quite gone.


If nothing else, that should tell us everything we need to know about the state of Malaysian politics in 2025.

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He'll live until 130 yrs old - 13 being a fave number -  just to protect his boy-boy's