Mahathir Bin Mohamad, known to many as Dr. M, was the Malaysian Prime Minister from 1981-2003. He is credited as being the figure who engineered Malaysia’s rapid modernism and swift growth of prosperity and is an expert on Asian culture and global development. He is an aggressive proponent of Islamic values and “Asian values,” a concept which believes that Asian countries have a unique set of beliefs and institutions which reflect their continents deep history.

Mohamad’s economic policies as Prime Minister helped Malaysia flower into the high-tech telecommunications center that it is today. His project “Perwaja Steel” was a plan to emulate other developed nations such as South Korea and Japan. Through his policies based on corporate nationalism, Malaysia’s literacy levels and poverty levels raised and declined respectively, putting Malaysia on the same plane as other prosperous countries in South East Asia.

Upon his exit from office, Mohamad left a legacy of a peaceful, prosperous and autonomous Malaysia. He is looked to as a role model for many developing nations and Islamic countries. Mohamad is dedicated to the growth of third world countries and his successful economic policies continue to bring hope and anticipation.