PUTRAJAYA - Initially smiling as he cycled on a tandem bike, Dr Mahathir Mohamad eventually became fatigued during his birthday celebration in Putrajaya on July 13, leaving with his wife before being able to cut the cake.

His aide, Mr Sufi Yusoff, informed Malaysia media outlet Astro Awani that the former prime minister left the event and then was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) around 10am to rest.

“Yes, Tun (Mahathir) was truly fatigued. So he left the event early and is now resting. His condition is okay, but he has been advised to rest and is currently at IJN,” he said.

Mr Sufi added that Dr Mahathir,

who recently celebrated his 100th birthday

, is expected to be discharged from IJN later in the afternoon.

The public picnic and potluck session was held to celebrate Dr Mahathir’s 100th birthday at the Perdana Leadership Foundation. Although it was cut short due to his exhaustion, the event left a lasting impression on many Malaysians who gathered in Putrajaya.

Ms Nickozie Mazlan, a 51-year-old housewife from Selangor, along with her family and friends, designed a T-shirt featuring Dr Mahathir’s face and a wooden block with his name engraved on it to gift him during the event.

“A few of us had prepared these items to give to him, but unfortunately he had to leave early. Hopefully, we’ll get another chance to present them to him,” said Ms Nickozie.

She also mentioned that meeting Dr Mahathir and his wife, Dr Siti Hasmah, was a great honour for her.

Young politics enthusiast Su Wilma Ishika Mohd Azlan Shah, 21, who attended with over 20 people including friends and family, claimed the picnic had a memorable atmosphere despite having met Dr Mahathir several times before.

“Dr Mahathir is an inspiring figure to me, especially as someone young, and I admire his leadership and resilience,” said Ms Su, a mass communication student from Shah Alam.

“I also came today because Dr Siti Hasmah and I share the same birthday (July 12) and wanted to meet her as well, but I believe they had to leave early as Dr Mahathir was not feeling too well,” she added.

Retired engineer Ahmad Shukri Shukor, 63, brought 44 people from Setiawangsa to meet the former prime minister.

“I brought in 44 residents from Bukit Setiawangsa to spend the morning with Dr Mahathir,” said Mr Ahmad.

Mr Ramchandran Sekaran, 47, a mechanic, brought his two children to the picnic in hopes of creating new memories for them.

“It’s my only chance to get my kids to meet a public figure like Dr Mahathir,” said Mr Ramchandran from Ampang.

“Thanks to these public meetings, we are able to meet him for a short while and I’m able to introduce my children to the former prime minister at this young age,” he added, referring to his two sons aged eight and 10.

Also present at the event were Dr Mahathir’s son Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar. THE STAR/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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