Mahathir celebrates 94th birthday

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad celebrated his 94th birthday on Wednesday as one of the eldest serving government leader in the world.

Mahathir, who is serving his second stint as the prime minister after his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition won the general polls in May last year, thanked Malaysians from all over the country who wished him happy birthday.

"Thank you for all the birthday greetings I received today. My birthday wish is very simple, that I can finish my work setting Malaysia on the road of recovery. It is a privilege and honor to serve this country," he said in a brief statement on social media.

Born in 1925, Mahathir got trained and served as a doctor and was elected as a member of parliament in 1964 as a member of the former ruling party United Malays National Organization (UMNO).

Having held the education, defense, finance and other portfolios, Mahathir served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003.

Following a falling out with UMNO and the then Prime Minister Najib Razak, Mahathir returned to active politics and founded Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in 2016, which he led to victory at the national polls along with other PH component parties.