At his offices in Putrajaya - the administrative capital he built, around an hour’s drive from central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - I met my namesake, Mahathir bin Mohamad.

Mahathir, Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, remains a towering figure in regional politics as he approaches his 100th birthday next month.

Despite no longer holding public office, the 99-year-old former leader is as outspoken and politically engaged as ever, continuing to weigh in on issues across Asia — including the evolving situation in Bangladesh.

Seated in his study, Mahathir is surrounded by stacks of handwritten notes and books. Time may have aged him, but his political instincts remain sharp.

In an exclusive interview, Mahathir shared his thoughts on the dramatic changes that have taken place in Bangladesh over the past year — including on the rise of Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus to interim leadership after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime in August 2024.

“He was a great man,” Mahathir said of Yunus.

“He deserved the Nobel Prize that he won because he created something to help poor people. He did not crave for power… he just went to work for the poor.”

Though full of praise for Yunus's work with the impoverished as well as his apolitical roots, Mahathir expressed concern about the country’s period of transition.

“The people are united with regard to overthrowing Hasina, but they are not united in terms of what kind of government they are going to have,” he said.

“Each one wants his own ideas to be accepted by the whole country, and that creates a problem.”

He added, “There are now conflicts between the very people who were united before.”

Mahathir recently met Dr Yunus in Japan but claims not to have offered him any direct advice. “I listened to him,” he said. “I know he has a problem.”

“I don’t consider myself competent to tell how Bangladesh should be ruled.”

When asked about Yunus’s ambition for Bangladesh to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), unfortunately for the chief advisor, the veteran Southeast Asian leader is unconvinced.

“Geographical”, he responds, when asked what the main limiting factor is to Bangladesh becoming a member of the economic alliance.

In contrast to statements made by the chief advisor’s team after Mahathir’s meeting with Yunus during the recent Nikkei Forum in Japan - which implied that the former Malaysian prime minister was supportive of Bangladesh’s aspirations to join ASEAN - Mahathir seemingly offered a contradictory view in our discussion.

“Bangladesh is geographically too far from what is currently defined as Southeast Asia,” he said. “We should have some geographical boundaries. Otherwise, we risk turning ASEAN into a second United Nations.”

Instead, he suggests, Bangladesh engage through the "ASEAN Plus”, a tier limited to having “dialogue partner” or “observer status”, without full membership.

“We talk to Japan, Britain, America — we can talk to Bangladesh,” he said, but they cannot necessarily become a member in his view.

As Bangladesh heads toward fresh elections next year, the future role of the Awami League remains contested. Asked whether the party that dominated Bangladeshi politics for over a decade should be allowed to participate, given the tarnished record of the now deposed Hasina, Mahathir responded philosophically: “This is the problem with democracy. People don’t always choose the best; sometimes they choose the wrong people."

Before adding, “but if the people of Bangladesh think carefully and make their choice, I think they can choose a good government.”

On regional humanitarian issues, Mahathir defended Malaysia’s stance on the Rohingya crisis. While acknowledging the suffering of Myanmar’s persecuted Muslim minority, he argued that Malaysia had already done more than many others. 

“We have no capacity,” he says, adding “We are trying to persuade Myanmar, but we have not been successful.”

Malaysia has faced criticism for turning away Rohingya boats in recent months, but Mahathir said it was time for other countries to step up.

“We have a lot of Rohingya people here already. It’s not just Malaysia — other countries in Southeast Asia, East Asia, even West of Myanmar” should be helping, including Bangladesh.

When pressed on why the country - which already hosts over a million Rohingya refugees - should be doing more, Mahathir offered a blunt rationale: “Because they are next to Myanmar. Obviously, you go to the nearest country. You don’t go to London.”

Mahathir turns 100 on Jul 10.

Bdnews24