34. As Prime Minister I led my country through a period of spectacular modernisation for 22 years, virtually eliminating poverty in the process and elevating Malaysia to the status of a developed nation.
From Quiz Doctors in Politics
Answer:
Mahathir bin Mahamid
Dr Mahathir bin Mahamid or 'Dr M' as he was known by the media and friends, was Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1988-2003 when he was succeeded by Abdullah Badawi. After graduating with a medical degree he worked as a government medical officer before setting up his own very successful practice. He was originally elected as an MP in 1964 and came to prominence when he controversially criticised Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's founding Prime Minister, after the 1969 race riots. He was sacked from his party and wrote a book 'The Malay Dilemma' which sought to explain the race riots. His advocacy of affirmative action for ethnic Malays won widespread acceptance, a practice which became government policy when he assumed power in 1981. Dr M was seen as authoritarian and used state power to suppress opponents as was seen in the case of Anwar Ibrahim, his one time heir apparent, who was jailed on trumped up sodomy charges when he tried to expose corruption and nepotism. He had an acerbic relationship with the west and Australia in particular once labelling them as the 'white trash of Asia' in response to attempts to identify themselves more closely with the region. The relationship was not helped when Prime Minister Keating labelled Dr M, 'recalcitrant', over his failure to appear at an APEC summit.
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