Former prime minister of Malaysia, 97-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, was speaking during a Gerakan Tanah Air forum held on 24 September 2022.
He was asked if he is open to become the prime minister of Malaysia again for the 3rd time, to which he said he would only if the people ask for it.
However, he added that he would preferably like to rest – saying that even as he is resting, he can play the role of consultant or advisor to the prime minister.
Mahathir added that if the situation calls for it, it would be difficult for him to just think about himself, and that he will accept the job if there was an insistence for it, and only if the people ask for it.
He added that he didn’t set up Pejuang and the Gerakan Tanah Air to become the prime minister, and that even if he was to become PM, he wouldn’t be able to commit to the full term of 5 years – he said the he could probably only serve for 1 year.
Mahathir remains the only prime minister to have been appointed twice in Malaysia, first when he was leader of Barisan Nasional and second when he was chairman of Pakatan Harapan.