AT 93, MAHATHIR IS 47
writing an unex-
pected chapter in
his legacy. During his
first, 22-year tenure
as Prime Minister,
from 1981 to 2003,
he turned Malaysia
into one of South-
east Asia’s economic
tigers, but his ornery
disregard for the
judiciary and the
press hinted at auto-
cratic leanings. Last
year, he returned
from seclusion to
run for office on
an anti-corruption
platform, leading a
new political party
to a shocking victory
over incumbent Na-
jib Razak. Mahathir
is now tackling the
endemic corruption
plaguing the coun-
try’s institutions, and
has brought Najib
to court on charges
connected to the
1MDB scandal, a
sprawling malfea-
sance case that has
ensnared Wall Street
bankers and govern-
ment officials (Najib
denies the charges).
Mahathir and his
party are now mov-
ing to protect judicial
independence and
press freedom, rec-
ognizing that they
help keep a democ-
racy honest.
PRIME MINISTER, MALAYSIA
47
:^ P
AN
OS
PI
CT
UR
ES
/R
ED
UX
PHOTOGRAPH BY ADAM DEAN
