As Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad celebrates his 99th birthday, it has been a somewhat muted year for the elder statesman, with a quick look at posts celebrating his birthday often being a mixed bag of praise and chastisement. For most of his fans, the view of Mahathir's legacy is pretty simple – a tenure marked by rapid industrialization and ambitious infrastructure projects propelled Malaysia onto the global stage. However, these policies came at a significant cost. His heavy-handed approach to economic management led to crony capitalism, where government contracts and licenses were awarded to a select group of politically connected individuals. This fostered an environment of corruption and nepotism that stymied genuine competition and innovation, hindering Malaysia's potential for sustainable, equitable growth. The financial crisis of 1997-1998 exposed the vulnerabilities of Mahathir's economic model. Instead of implementing transparent reforms, Mahathir resorted to capital co...