Before Malaysia knew Mahathir and Hasmah

Dr Hasmah Ali and Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who became a familiar pair in the public eye, had already shared a decade-long relationship when Malaysia first became acquainted with them. Their courtship spanned the late 1940s and early 1950s, during which they were both medical students in Singapore. They began by helping each other with their studies and eventually grew into a deep, affectionate, and humorous partnership.

Despite Mahathir's preference for punctuality, Hasmah's tendency to be late became a part of their enduring marriage. Their love story began in 1947 when they first met at King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore, where they were among only seven Malay students and Hasmah was the sole woman. Their relationship transformed over the decades, with Mahathir offering her tuition to gain her favor, and Hasmah's eventual acceptance of his love becoming a cornerstone of their enduring union.

Married in 1956, they went on to raise seven children and both built careers in medicine. Mahathir's political journey, including his two terms as Malaysian prime minister, was intricately intertwined with his wife's career and personal life. As the years passed, the nature of their companionship evolved, with Hasmah increasingly focused on caring for her husband in his later years.

In their centenary year, they expressed their enduring love through the gesture of exchanging "wo ai ni," a phrase meaning "I love you" in Mandarin, a testament to their non-verbal, action-based expression of affection. Hasmah passed away at the age of 100, leaving behind a legacy of a 70-year marriage that was more about enduring companionship than grand romance.