PUTRAJAYA: Initially smiling as he cycled on a tandem bike, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad eventually became fatigued during his 100th birthday celebration in Putrajaya on July 13, leaving with his wife before being able to cut the cake.
His aide Sufi Yusoff informed reporters that the former prime minister left the event and was then admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) at around 10am to rest.
“Yes, Tun was truly fatigued, so he left the event early and is now resting. His condition is okay, but he has been advised to rest and is currently at IJN,” he said.
In a subsequent update, Sufi said Dr Mahathir had been discharged from IJN at 4.45pm.
The public picnic and potluck session was held to celebrate Dr Mahathir’s 100th birthday at the Perdana Leadership Foundation. Although it was cut short due to his exhaustion, the event left a lasting impression on many Malaysians who gathered in Putrajaya.
Nickozie Mazlan, a 51-year-old housewife from Selangor, along with her family and friends, designed a T-shirt featuring Dr Mahathir’s face and a wooden block with his name engraved on it.
Taking a breather: Dr Mahathir is seen resting at the ‘Picnic and Potluck’ event in conjunction with his 100th birthday at Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
“A few of us had prepared to give items to him, but unfortunately he had to leave early. Hopefully, we’ll get another chance to present them to him,” said Nickozie when met, adding that it was a great honour to meet both Dr Mahathir and his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.
Young politics enthusiast Su Wilma Ishika Mohd Azlan Shah, 21, who attended with over 20 people including friends and family members, said the picnic had a memorable atmosphere.
“Dr Mahathir is an inspiring figure to me, especially as someone young, and I admire his leadership and resilience,” said Su, a mass communication student from Shah Alam.
“I also came today because Dr Siti Hasmah and I share the same birthday (July 12) and I wanted to meet her as well, but they had to leave early as Dr Mahathir was not feeling too well.”
Retired engineer Ahmad Shukri Abdul Shukor, 63, brought 44 people from Setiawangsa to meet the former prime minister.
“I brought in 44 residents from Bukit Setiawangsa to spend the morning with Dr Mahathir,” said Ahmad.
Ramchandran Sekaran, 47, a mechanic, brought his two children to the picnic in hopes of creating new memories for them.
“It’s my only chance to get my kids to meet a public figure like Dr Mahathir,” said Ramchandran, who hails from Ampang.
“Thanks to these public meetings, we are able to meet him for a short while and I’m able to introduce my children to him,” he added, referring to his two sons aged eight and 10.
Also present at the event were Dr Mahathir’s son Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir and Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
