I fell in love with Hasmah, but who else, says Dr M

The prime minister speaks of how he met Siti Hasmah and the secret behind their 62-year marriage.

KUALA LUMPUR: From fellow medical students in Singapore to one of Malaysia’s most well-known couples, Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali have come a long way since their first meeting over 70 years ago.

The couple met in 1946 at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore, now part of the National University of Singapore.

They tied the knot in 1956 following a stint as doctors in the government service. Together, they have seven children including prominent social activist Marina Mahathir and Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir.

While much of Mahathir’s time in the limelight has been due to his return to active politics after 15 years of retirement and his coalition’s shock win in the May 9 general election, he and Siti Hasmah have also been the centre of attention thanks to their relationship, captured and spread through pictures and posts on social media.

In a recent exclusive interview with CNN, Mahathir revealed details of his marriage and the secret to keeping the 62-year relationship going strong.

When asked what had first attracted him to Siti Hasmah, he laughed and said: “Actually, there were not many girls in those days and she was the only girl taking the medical course who was a Malay.

“So naturally, we gravitated towards the only girl in the group and eventually, well, I suppose I fell in love with her.”

He told CNN that in those days, not many women went to university but Siti Hasmah was determined to get a university education.

“That, I think, reflects her strength of character.”

On the secret to their long marriage, he said they had learnt to tolerate each other despite their frequent quarrels about things like timing, as he valued punctuality while she tended to be late.

Once they realised that they could not change each other, he said, they learnt to accept their differences.

Commenting on Siti Hasmah’s willingness to “share” him with the country at this stage of life, he said: “She feels the same way about the kind of things I believe in – loyalty, the country, working for the country and all that.

“She accompanies me wherever I go, and she is, in a sense, quite as dedicated to the idea of loyalty and patriotism that I have.” - FMT