Malaysia’s ex-leader Mahathir, 99, discharged from hospital

Southeast Asian country’s longest-serving prime minister had been hospitalised for a respiratory infection.

Malaysia’s former leader Mahathir Mohamad has been discharged from hospital after being admitted with a respiratory infection, his office has said.

Mahathir, who turned 99 in July, was hospitalised for a lower respiratory tract infection on October 15.

The veteran politician has a history of heart problems and has been hospitalised on several occasions in recent years.

His admission to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur had prevented him from attending a court hearing for a defamation case he filed against the country’s deputy prime minister.

Malaysia’s longest-serving leader, Mahathir did two stints as prime minister between 1981 and 2003, and again from 2018 until 2020.

During his first stint in office, Mahathir won plaudits for helping to transform the country into a top exporter of high-tech goods but faced accusations of undermining democracy and stifling dissent.

Mahathir lost his parliamentary seat in the island resort of Langkawi in 2022 in a shock outcome that marked his first electoral defeat in more than half a century.

Since leaving parliament, he has continued to weigh in on the Southeast Asian nation’s politics, emerging as a prominent critic of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, his former protege-turned-rival.