Mahathir Mohamad

This chapter examines the strategic political manoeuvres employed by Mahathir Mohamad, which involved a combination of authoritarian populism and right-wing nationalism that eventually transformed into exclusionary populism. Additionally, it analyses Mahathir’s perspective on the privileged class and those from different civilisations in order to understand his approach as a populist. Over a period of more than twenty years, Mahathir’s perspectives and strategies on different matters have been evident in both economic achievements and debatable shortcomings, including the rise of polarisation. The chapter concludes that Mahathir, due to his non-elitist background, has exceptional skills in manipulating the wishes and desires of the people, making him a skilled populist leader.