Mahathir ‘lonely’ as family and Malaysia mourn Siti Hasmah

As Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, wife of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, was laid to rest on Monday, one poignant image stood out.

Footage of her family members sobbing served as a reminder that before the 100-year-old was “Ibu Negara” (Mother of the Nation), she was first a mother of seven, grandmother to 18 and great-grandmother to four.

Her latest great-grandchild, Eden Zakaria, was born just last month to granddaughter Meera Alyanna Mukhriz, better known as Ally. In a social media post on Monday, Ally paid tribute to her tok (grandparent), saying: “She was strong yet gentle, lenient but firm and always the glue that kept our large family close.”

“Bringing Eden into the world was tough but immensely worth it because he got to meet his wonderful nyang,” the new mother wrote, using the Malay word for great-grandmother.

“Just two weeks ago, I was walking to the kitchen when I saw the front door open. Who else but tok herself, arriving unannounced just to see us and her cicit [great-grandchild], Eden. She would have held him all day if she could. She kept saying, ‘Ally, no pillows in his crib OK?’ She had endless tips for me. I only wish Eden had a bit more time with her, though we were so privileged to have her for 100 years.”

She also thanked members of the public for their condolences and support. “She left such an indelible mark on me, and, judging by your messages, on so many of you too … I just wanted to say the deepest of thank-yous to everyone who has reached out to me or my family today.”

Mahathir, 101, cut a lonely figure during the funeral, openly weeping as he watched his wife being laid to rest.

“I didn’t expect her to die today,” he was overheard telling Sultan Abdullah of Pahang, adding that Siti Hasmah had seemed “quite well” the previous evening, the Borneo Post reported.

Siti Hasmah died at about 9.25am on Monday at the National Heart Institute.

Her son, Mokhzani Mahathir, said she had been in good spirits on Sunday night before her condition suddenly deteriorated. Another son, Mukhriz Mahathir, said Mahathir was by her side until her final moments.

Siti Hasmah’s daughter, Marina Mahathir, told Malay-language newspaper Berita Harian on Tuesday that her father was in good health but was grieving the loss of his “lifelong companion”.

“Of course he is sad. She was his partner for 70 years. He feels lonely,” Marina told reporters after putting flowers on her mother’s grave.

In a previous interview, Marina had said her mother was Mahathir’s pillar of strength. “She always gave him her 100 per cent support. If she disagreed with him, she would do it privately,” she told The Star.

When Mahathir retired in 2003 after serving as prime minister for 22 years, Siti Hasmah said she felt a sense of relief as the country and Malaysians “have returned my husband back to me and my family”.

But she stepped back into the public eye without complaint after he became prime minister for a second time in 2018.

According to Marina, family members have been taking turns to stay with Mahathir to ensure he is not left alone in his grief.

She said the entire family was still trying to come to terms with the loss. “We all miss mother. We were so used to seeing her at home and now it is hard to believe she is no longer with us.”

Marina also thanked members of the public who paid their respects at the mosque and later at the burial grounds. “Even today, many are still coming,” she said.

The whole family was touched by the overwhelming show of affection and support, she added, with hundreds of messages of condolence pouring in on social media, making it impossible to respond to each one personally.

“Some of them I know and some I don’t but they are paying their respects to mother because they see her as their own.”