Mahathir, Anwar and the final battle against time

[Editors’ note: Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohmad was hospitalized for fatigue after a 100th birthday picnic, but was released on Sunday.]

Having turned 100 on July 10, Mahathir Mohamad remains a potent force in Malaysia’s political landscape. To meet him is to confront a paradox: a man who shaped half his nation’s history yet discusses past policies with a startling clarity that defies his age. His vitality and sharp mind are not just personal traits; they are the foundation of his enduring relevance.

Mahathir’s formidable work ethic was forged in his early career as a physician. Working “day and night,” he learned a discipline that became his leadership’s bedrock. “If someone goes into labor at 3 am, you can’t tell them to wait,” he explained, a principle he carried into the Prime Minister’s office. His motto is simple: “Practice work discipline, do not waste TIME.”  

This urgency comes from a lifelong race against the clock. He initially believed his time in power would be short, as had been his predecessors’. “Time is not enough because I have many ideas,” he once said in when being interviewed by a local media outlet. “Time has been a problem for me from the very beginning.”

Even as a centenarian, he displays his legendary discipline, supported by an austere lifestyle of no smoking or drinking but constant physical activity. This image of endurance is a powerful political tool, lending weight to his critiques and making him a difficult adversary to dismiss.

His legacy is one of grand ambition and nation-building, a narrative he now wields in what may be his final political fight: a court case scheduled to unfold next month.

The architect and his final battle

Mahathir’s sharp memory is as much a political weapon as his work ethic. I saw this firsthand when I met him at his Perdana Leadership Foundation office in Putrajaya earlier this year. I was deeply impressed by his memory as we discussed the Malaysia-Singapore Water Agreement. He shared interesting facts and recalled intricate details from his tenure with stunning clarity.

This mental acuity is legendary. He famously called the original price of 3 cents per thousand gallons “manifestly ridiculous” and relentlessly pushed for better terms, with his government’s asking price escalating dramatically over the years.  

This sharpness reinforces his image as the architect of modern Malaysia, the visionary behind transformative projects and the ambitious Vision 2020 plan that aimed to make Malaysia a fully developed nation. His handling of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, where he defied international advice by imposing capital controls, is seen by many as a masterstroke that saved the economy, though critics argue it also protected politically connected firms. 

The lawsuit: a reckoning decades in the making

The final confrontation between two titans is set for the Shah Alam High Court in August 2025. Mahathir has filed a RM150 million defamation suit against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, a battle for the soul of their shared history. The suit stems from a speech in which Anwar alluded to a leader who ruled for “22 years and 22 months” and allegedly used that power to enrich his family.  

Mahathir claims these remarks paint him as corrupt and racist, and he is demanding a full retraction and apology. For Anwar, this is a moment of truth. The allegations of cronyism during Mahathir’s rule have been the cornerstone of his Reformasi movement for over two decades. His supporters have long claimed to have “boxes and boxes of proof,” and now, the court is demanding he present them.  

The challenge is immense. While critics point to scandals like the multi-billion ringgit Perwaja Steel fiasco as evidence of a system lacking accountability, proving these decades-old claims with legal rigor is another matter entirely. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is also investigating Mahathir’s sons, adding another layer to the drama.  

The endgame: a battle of strategy

The legal showdown is a high-stakes game of strategy. Anwar Ibrahim’s legal history suggests a playbook of procedural challenges and delays. In a separate civil suit, he recently sought “qualified immunity” to postpone a trial, arguing it could “destabilize the government”—a tactic he may well deploy again.  

For Anwar, a trial is a political minefield. Failing to produce evidence would be a catastrophic admission that his decades-long accusations were baseless. Delay seems the most logical, if cynical, path.  

From Mahathir’s perspective, the lawsuit is a brilliant offensive. It forces his rival onto the defensive and allows him to control the narrative. Every postponement sought by Anwar’s team can be framed as an admission of weakness, reinforcing Mahathir’s claim that he is the victim of a long-running smear campaign.  

Time is on Mahathir’s side

The final battle between Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim is not just a legal dispute; it is a war against time itself. For decades, Dr. Mahathir has been driven by an almost frantic sense of urgency. He built a nation in a hurry, convinced he had only a short window to enact his grand vision.  

Now, in a twist of profound irony, his rival’s primary legal strategy appears to be buying time. Anwar’s attempts to delay court proceedings, whether through immunity bids or other procedural maneuvers, stand in stark contrast to Mahathir’s lifelong race against the clock.  

Can Anwar successfully buy the time he needs? Perhaps. But with each delay, the narrative shifts. The prime minister, who built a movement on promises of exposing past sins, appears unable or unwilling to present his evidence in court. Meanwhile, the centenarian statesman, far from fading away, seems energized by the fight. He remains in the headlines, not as a relic, but as a relentless warrior demanding his day in court. In this ultimate political endgame, TIME—the very element Mahathir always felt he lacked – now appears to be his greatest ally.