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Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali

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In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Mohamad Ali is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Siti Hasmah. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Dr.
Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali
SSM SSDK DUPN SPDK DUNM DA SMK KMN PCK
سيتي حسمه محمد علي‎
Siti Hasmah in 2019
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia
In role
10 May 2018 – 24 February 2020
Spouse of the Interim: 24 February - 1 March 2020
MonarchsMuhammad V
Abdullah
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
Preceded byRosmah Mansor
Succeeded byNoorainee Abdul Rahman
In role
16 July 1981 – 31 October 2003
MonarchsAhmad Shah
Iskandar
Azlan Shah
Jaafar
Salahuddin
Sirajuddin
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
Preceded bySuhailah Noah
Succeeded byEndon Mahmood
Spouse of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
In role
5 March 1976 – 16 July 1981
MonarchsYahya Petra
Ahmad Shah
Preceded bySuhailah Noah
Succeeded byInes Maria Reyna
Personal details
Born
Siti Hasmah binti Mohamad Ali

(1926-07-12) 12 July 1926 (age 98)
Klang, Selangor, Federated Malay States, British Malaya
CitizenshipMalaysia
Spouse
​
(m. 1956)​
Children7 (including Marina, Mokhzani and Mukhriz)
RelativesIsmail Mohamed Ali (brother)[1]
Alma materKing Edward VII College of Medicine (MBBS)
OccupationDoctor

Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah binti Haji Mohamad Ali (Jawi: سيتي حسمه بنت محمد علي; born 12 July 1926) is a Malaysian doctor and former chancellor of the Multimedia University (MMU). She is married to Mahathir Mohamad, the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia.[2][3] She is the oldest-living spouse of a prime minister of Malaysia. In Malaysia, Siti Hasmah is respectfully known as Ibu Negara (Mother of the Nation).[4]

Early life and family

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Siti Hasmah was born on 12 July 1926 in Klang, Selangor, as an ethnic Malay (retired) physician of Minangkabau descent from Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. She schooled in SMK St. Mary. She obtained her MBBS from the University of Malaya in Singapore.[5] Siti Hasmah was one of the first Malay women to enroll for a medical course at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore (now the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine) after World War II.

Young photos of Siti Hasmah and Mahathir

In 1955 she graduated as a medical doctor from the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, which was then located in Singapore. She subsequently joined the government health service. She was one of the first Malay woman doctors in then Malaya. She married Mahathir Mohamad the following year in August.[6] They have seven children, Marina, Mirzan, Melinda, Mokhzani, Mukhriz, Maizura and Mazhar.

In 1966, she attended a public health certificate program at the School of Public Health, the University of Michigan.[7]

Ten years later, she became the first woman to be appointed Medical Officer in the Maternal and Child Health Department, and in 1974, she was the first woman to be appointed State Maternal and Child Health Officer in Kedah. During her tenure, Siti Hasmah successfully reduced the infant mortality rate from 75 per 1,000 to only 6 per 1,000.[8]

She is also the author of several articles on family medicine and the socioeconomic factors associated with pregnancy and childbearing in Malaysia.[9] Additionally, Siti Hasmah had once served as a lecturer at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya.[9]

Known to be a loving person, Siti Hasmah is a cat lover and music enthusiast.[10] She began learning the violin at 16 but stopped after a few years, only to resume playing more than 70 years later.[11]

Wife of Prime Minister of Malaysia

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Siti Hasmah (center) seen alongside her husband, Mahathir during a visitation trip at Bukit Merah, Perak

Siti Hasmah used her position as the wife of the Prime Minister to campaign tirelessly for women's health, family planning, drug abuse control and adult literacy.[12] She also served in various positions as follows:

  • President of the Malaysian Girl Guides Association[12]
  • Chairman of the Kedah Family Planning Association[12]
  • President of the Malaysian Medical Association Foundation[12]
  • President of the Association for the Rehabilitation of Handicapped Children[12]
  • Vice-President of the Federation of Family Planning Associations of Malaysia[12]
  • Patron of the Malaysian Association of Maternal Health and Neonate[12]
  • Patron of the Malaysian Pediatric Association[12]
  • Patron of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM)[13]

As Patron of the Pan Pacific South Asia Women's Association, (PPSEAWA) Malaysia, Siti Hasmah attended and presented keynote addresses at the Triennial Conferences in Tokyo (1984), Bangkok (1991) and Tonga (1994).[14]

In August 1999, a man attempted to ram a government vehicle carrying Siti Hasmah, but was intercepted by security personnel and eventually apprehended.[15]

In March 2000, Siti Hasmah led a Malaysian delegation on a five-day goodwill visit to Iraq to assess the impact of economic sanctions on women and children. The delegation visited hospitals, orphanages, and old folks' homes, bringing essential medical supplies. During the trip, she met Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and was later invited for a brief meeting with President Saddam Hussein.[16]

She again served as the wife of the prime minister after her husband was reappointed on 10 May 2018.

Social contributions

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Drug abuse

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As the President of BAKTI (Welfare Club of the Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers), Siti Hasmah actively participated in initiatives to raise awareness among young people about the dangers of drug abuse. In 1985, she accepted an invitation from United States First Lady Nancy Reagan to attend the First Ladies' Conference on Drug Abuse in Washington D.C.. Two years later, in 1987, she represented Malaysia at the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Vienna.[12]

Rural women

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Siti Hasmah was also active internationally in promoting the cause of rural women. In 1992, at the invitation of Queen Fabiola of Belgium, she attended the First Ladies Summit for the Economic Advancement of Rural Women in Geneva. She was chosen as one of the six Core-Group Initiators of First Ladies representing the Asia-Pacific Region.[12]

In February 1994, Siti Hasmah participated in the ISC Council Meeting held in Brussels. The following year, in September 1995, she was named Chairperson of the Regional Steering Committee on the Economic Advancement of Rural and Island Women for the Asia-Pacific region. By November 1996, she had assumed the role of president.[12]

Mental health

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Being a medical doctor by training, Siti Hasmah also has an interest in mental health. Former First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter invited Siti Hasmah to serve on the National Committee of the World Federation of Mental Health which Carter chaired.[14]

Awards and recognitions

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For her lifelong public service, voluntary work, and leadership in the fields of public health, literacy, and drug abuse control, Siti Hasmah has received numerous awards.[17]

In 1988, she was awarded the Kazue McLaren Award by the Asia Pacific Consortium for Public Health.

In 1991, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia conferred on her an Honorary Doctorate in Medical Science, followed by an Honorary Doctorate in Public Health from the Royal College of Physicians, Ireland in 1992.

In 1994, she received two honorary doctorates: an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Indiana University Bloomington in May[18] and an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in August.[19]

On 18 August 1995, Siti Hasmah received a honorary Doctorate of Education from Universiti Malaya for her enormous and endless contributions in championing the cause of women in the country.[20]

On 8 July 1996, Siti Hasmah conferred the Distinguished Paediatrics and Child Health Merit Award by the Malaysian Paediatric Association.[21]

On 20 June 1997, she was appointed as the Chancellor of Multimedia University (MMU) and became a patron of MESCORP.

On 15 August 2002, Siti Hasmah was conferred the Companion of Honour award by the Malaysian Association of Chartered Institute of Marketing, its first woman recipient.[22]

On 28 August 2003, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) awarded Siti Hasmah an honorary Doctorate in Science in recognition of her significant contributions to the nation, particularly in rural healthcare and women's empowerment.[23]

On 15 January 2004, Siti Hasmah was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Work, while her husband, Mahathir, received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters.[24]

On 14 February 2004, Siti Hasmah was honored with the Fellow Intan Award 2003 in recognition of her dedication to national and community development for over two decades.[25]

On 20 June 2004, Siti Hasmah received well-deserved recognition for her contributions to Malaysian sports when the Olympic Council of Malaysia honored her with the Women and Sport Award for 2004.[26]

On 27 April 2005, Siti Hasmah was honored as Ibu Idola (Ideal Mother) by the international cosmetics company Avon.[27][28]

On 15 May 2006, Siti Hasmah was pleasantly surprised upon receiving the Hixson Fellowship Award, the highest recognition granted by the Kiwanis International Foundation.[29]

On 3 October 2009, Siti Hasmah was awarded an honorary doctorate by Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) for her contributions to national development, while Mahathir received the same honor.[30]

On 7 October 2018, Perdana University awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy Degree for her contributions to women and community development.[31]

On 29 December 2018, Siti Hasmah was honored with the Tokoh Srikandi Negara award at the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) general assembly in recognition of her contributions to the success of party chairman Mahathir. She was the first recipient of this award, which was accepted on her behalf by her son, Mukhriz Mahathir.[32]

On 16 July 2019, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Asia Human Resource Development Awards for her contributions to Malaysia’s public health sector, particularly her leadership in medical and social organizations, as well as her efforts in literacy and drug abuse control.[33]

On 21 August 2019, Siti Hasmah was conferred the Ibu Negara (Mother of the Nation) award by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI) for her contributions to nation-building, women's health, family planning, drug abuse control, and national unity.[34][35]

On 18 December 2020, she was presented with the Nona Superwoman Award 2020 by Nona magazine, recognizing her impact as an inspirational female figure.[10][36]

In addition, the Malaysian AIDS Foundation established the Dr Siti Hasmah Award in 1996 to recognize individuals and organizations whose work has made a significant impact on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in Malaysia.[37]

Honours of Malaysia

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The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia, as well as several Heads of States, have bestowed titles upon her. In 2003, she was conferred the highest honorary title of Tun along with her husband, Mahathir, by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.[38]

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Siti Hasmah has been portrayed in theater, documentaries, and films. She was portrayed by Erra Fazira in the theater Mahathir, the Musical (2010) and in Teater Tun Siti Hasmah (2012), a Malaysian play directed by Erma Fatima and starring Lisa Surihani, Eja, Nazim Othman, and Esma Danial. The play, staged at Istana Budaya, focused on her early life as a doctor and medical officer before becoming Malaysia's First Lady.

She was also portrayed in two films—by Fadhilah Mansor in Kapsul (2015) and by Fauziah Latiff in Mahathir: The Journey (2022 or 2023, as it was shot in 2019 and early 2020 before the Movement control order COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia.

Publications

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  • My Name is Hasmah. Karangkraf Group, 2016.[50]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Dr Siti Hasmah pays tribute to brother Ismail Ali, the first Malaysian Bank Negara governor". Malay Mail. 8 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Don't forget Dr Siti Hasmah". New Straits Times. 30 October 2003.
  3. ^ "Thanks also to Dr Siti Hasmah". New Straits Times. 31 October 2003.
  4. ^ "Dr Siti Hasmah named 'Ibu Negara' for contributions to country". www.malaymail.com. 22 August 2019.
  5. ^ Biografi Wanita Malaysia (in Malay). Kuala Lumpur: Pertubuhan Tindakan Wanita Islam (Malaysia). p. 138. OCLC 559286367.
  6. ^ Information Malaysia. Berita Publ. Sdn. Bhd. 1975. p. 44.
  7. ^ Biography of the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya and Singapore. Kuala Lumpur. 2012.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ "Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah". Prestige Woman. 24 February 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Faculty of Dentistry". dentistry.um.edu.my. 9 December 2021.
  10. ^ a b Norzalina (21 December 2020). "Pencinta Kucing Muzik Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Dedah Rahsia Penyayang!". Nona (in Malay).
  11. ^ Ismail, Fauziah; Jay, Beatrice Nita (26 May 2019). "Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamed Ali shows one can master the violin at any age!". NST Online.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Dr Siti Hasmah a model for women". New Straits Times. 1 November 2003.
  13. ^ A Pictorial Journey Tun Dr. Mahathir. Kuala Lumpur: Utusan Publications & Distributors. 2004. p. 249. ISBN 967-61-1637-8.
  14. ^ a b "Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Bt Mohd Ali". Perdana Leadership Foundation.
  15. ^ "Man tries to ram car carrying Mahathir's wife". The Straits Times. 14 August 1999.
  16. ^ ALI, AISHAH (12 July 2019). "Happy sweet 93, Dr Siti Hasmah". NST Online.
  17. ^ Kannan, Hashini Kavishtri (16 July 2019). "Dr Siti Hasmah gets Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in health sector". NST Online.
  18. ^ "Siti Hasmah gets honorary doctorate in US". New Straits Times. 9 May 1994.
  19. ^ "Siti Hasmah receives doctorate". New Straits Times. 18 August 1994.
  20. ^ "Honorary doctorate for Dr Siti Hasmah". New Straits Times. 19 August 1995.
  21. ^ "Siti Hasmah receives MPA award". New Straits Times. 9 July 1996.
  22. ^ "Dr Siti Hasmah conferred Companion of Honour award". New Straits Times. 16 August 2002.
  23. ^ "Unimas honours Dr Siti Hasmah". New Straits Times. 29 August 2003.
  24. ^ "Honorary IIUM doctorates for Dr Mahathir and Dr Siti Hasmah". New Straits Times. 16 January 2004.
  25. ^ "Siti Hasmah receives Intan award for service to nation". New Sunday Times. 15 February 2004.
  26. ^ "Siti Hasmah wins award". The Malay Mail. 21 June 2004.
  27. ^ "Siti Hasmah named Avon's 'Ideal Mother' | KLiK". The Malay Mail. 28 April 2005.
  28. ^ "Avon's ideal mother". New Straits Times. 28 April 2005.
  29. ^ "Kiwanis award surprise for Dr Siti Hasmah". New Straits Times. 16 May 2006.
  30. ^ "Honorary doctorates for Dr M, wife". New Sunday Times. 4 October 2009.
  31. ^ "Education is a lifetime job, says Dr Mahathir". New Straits Times. 7 October 2018. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  32. ^ Team, NSTP (29 December 2018). "Dr Siti Hasmah receives Tokoh Srikandi Negara award". NST Online.
  33. ^ Jr, JOSEPH KAOS (16 July 2019). "Tun Siti Hasmah receives Lifetime Achievement Award". The Star.
  34. ^ Singh, Rajvinder (22 August 2019). "Siti Hasmah honoured with 'Ibu Negara' award". thesun.my.
  35. ^ Yusof, Teh Athira (22 August 2019). "Siti Hasmah receives 'Ibu Negara' award". NST Online.
  36. ^ Rosmah Idayu (21 December 2020). "NONA SUPERWOMAN 2020 Raikan Kejayaan Wanita Pencetus Inspirasi". Nona (in Malay). Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  37. ^ "The Dr Siti Hasmah Award 2004". New Straits Times. 24 June 2004.
  38. ^ "Dr Mahathir, Dr Siti Hasmah conferred Tun title". New Straits Times. 1 November 2003.
  39. ^ a b "SEMAKAN PENERIMA DARJAH KEBESARAN, BINTANG DAN PINGAT". Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  40. ^ "Dr. Hasmah terima kurnia Sultan Kedah" (PDF). Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Perdana Leadership Foundation. 18 July 1983. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  41. ^ "114ra'ayat di-beri gelaran dan pingat". 20 January 1971. p. 3.
  42. ^ "Siti Hasmah heads Penang list". The Star. 12 July 2003. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021.
  43. ^ "Dr Siti Hasmah receives award". New Straits Times. 8 August 2003.
  44. ^ "Dr Siti Hasmah heads Malacca list". New Straits Times. 11 October 2003.
  45. ^ "SPMS 1994". awards.selangor.gov.my. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  46. ^ a b "Istana Selangor sahkan Tun M pulangkan darjah kebesaran". Berita Harian (in Malay). 12 December 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  47. ^ a b "Selangor Royal Council confirms Mahathir has returned royal awards". The Sun Daily. 12 December 2017. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  48. ^ "DPMS 1983". awards.selangor.gov.my. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  49. ^ "Sarawak honours Siti Hasmah, Chong Eu". New Straits Times. 9 September 1995.
  50. ^ "Dr Siti Hasmah celebrates 90 years with biography". www.malaymail.com. 30 June 2016.
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