Remembering Dr Hasmah: 10 glimpses of a remarkable life

To many Malaysians, Dr Hasmah Ali was a reassuring presence beside former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. But her own life was rich with accomplishment, curiosity and humour.

Following her death yesterday at age 100, here are 10 anecdotes that offer a glimpse of the woman behind that familiar face.

1. She became a doctor before Merdeka

Long before she became a popular figure in public life, she was already part of a pioneering generation of Malay women in medicine.

After World War II, Hasmah entered King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore on a scholarship, becoming the only Malay woman in her batch. She graduated in 1955 and began her housemanship at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital.

2. She met Mahathir at medical school

Hasmah and Mahathir enrolled at King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore in 1947. Both were training to become doctors, with Mahathir later working in government service before opening his own clinic in Alor Setar.

Their relationship grew through their studies: Hasmah recalled that Mahathir had offered to tutor her, bringing them closer. Physics was a particular struggle, and she credited his help with getting her through her medical degree.

They married in August 1956 and went on to have seven children. This year, the partnership that began at medical school reached seven decades of marriage.

3. She championed the health of mothers and children

After marrying and moving to Alor Setar, Hasmah worked at the town’s general hospital and took part in health programmes for rural communities.

In 1974, she became Kedah’s first woman state maternal and child health officer. She also wrote about family medicine and the social and economic circumstances surrounding pregnancy and childbirth – concerns that extended well beyond the consultation room.

4. She wasn’t named ‘Siti’ at birth

For a woman with one of Malaysia’s best-known names, Hasmah made a surprising clarification. In a 2024 podcast interview, she revealed that she had simply been named “Hasmah” at birth.

“Siti”, she explained, had been a popular addition that became attached to her name after she and Mahathir moved from Alor Setar to KL.

“There is Siti Nurhaliza now, there was this Siti, there was that Siti. So they added the ‘Siti’ before my name. But I’m just Dr Hasmah,” she said.

5. She returned to the violin at 86

Hasmah put aside the violin at 16 to concentrate on her studies, then returned to it at 86 – a 70-year gap. She said an invitation to perform at a fundraising concert prompted her to reconsider the instrument.

She initially offered to sing, but organisers encouraged her to try something different. Despite her reservations about the long break, she found a teacher and picked up the violin again.

According to her daughter Marina, Hasmah had to relearn how to hold the instrument and bow. Poor eyesight brought another challenge: she also had to memorise every piece.

By 2016, her perseverance had taken her to the stage at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas. At a school alumni dinner in 2019, her performances of “You Raise Me Up” and “Que Sera Sera”, among other pieces, earned a standing ovation.

And in August last year, at 99, she was still performing – sharing the stage at Multimedia University with that other Siti, Nurhaliza.

6. She learnt French in her 70s – and sat for exams

Hasmah’s decision to study French in her 70s had a personal motivation: according to Marina, she wanted to converse with her daughter’s then parents-in-law, who did not speak English. (Marina’s first husband, Didier Roussille, was French.)

Hasmah approached the language seriously, sitting for and passing examinations. Mother and daughter even exchanged text messages in French for practice, although Marina acknowledged that limited opportunities to converse made speaking it harder for her mother.

In a tribute marking Hasmah’s 99th birthday in July last year, Marina revealed that her mother was also trying to learn Japanese – finding something new to explore even as she approached a century of life.

7. She took up the erhu at 89

In December 2015, Hasmah added another musical challenge to her life by taking up the erhu, a traditional Chinese bowed instrument with two strings.

Writing on this the following July, Marina shared an affectionate detail: her mother’s repertoire was limited at the time to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.

Despite the experience of the violin, piano and gamelan behind her, Hasmah was nevertheless happy to start afresh with a simple tune.

8. She helped soothe tensions in the Thomas Cup team

Hasmah’s support for badminton went well beyond cheering from the stands. Recalling Malaysia’s 1992 Thomas Cup victory, she said she knew doubles partners Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang had not been seeing eye to eye.

She spoke to each separately, telling each man he could not have a better partner than the other. They went on to clinch the winning point against Indonesia.

At a 2019 reunion, she likened her role as the team’s patron to being a mother to the players. Seeing them together again brought her to tears.

9. She packed a suitcase well enough to impress customs

According to Marina, her mother packed suitcases so neatly that a Heathrow customs officer once praised the arrangement of Marina’s luggage.

Years later, when Marina introduced her mum to packing cubes, Hasmah adopted them, too – a sweet, simple example of a mother willing to learn from her daughter.

10. She marked turning 90 by telling her own story

Her memoir, “My Name is Hasmah”, was published in 2016, the year she turned 90. Covering childhood, medicine, family and travels, it included stories even Marina had not previously known.

Hasmah said the book took six months to write – and jokingly pointed out the contrast with the eight years her husband had spent on his.

It was a fitting way to mark the milestone: a woman so often seen beside someone else sharing her own experiences, in her own words. Those memories leave much to admire, and plenty to smile about.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.