Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, wife of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, died at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur on 28 September, Malaysian media reported. She was 100.

Mahathir confirmed his wife’s death in a Facebook post. The couple had been married since 1956 and had seven children.

Siti Hasmah’s youngest son, Mukhriz Mahathir, was seen escorting his mother’s body from the hospital, wearing a black mask.

Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah offered their condolences to Siti Hasmah’s family.

“Their Majesties pray that the family of the deceased is given the strength, resilience and patience in facing the loss of their loved one,” Sultan Ibrahim’s Facebook page said.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also expressed his condolences and asked an audience to recite a prayer for the departed during an event.

“May I share some sad news this morning. We have learned of the passing of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah. May Allah bless her soul,” Anwar was quoted as saying by The Star.

In a separate statement, Anwar said Siti Hasmah would be accorded a state funeral, assisted by the Chief Secretary to the Government and the Chief of Defence Force. She was scheduled to be laid to rest at Pusara Negarawan, a national cemetery in Presint 20, Putrajaya, at 4:30pm.

Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Anwar’s wife, described Siti Hasmah as a person whose tranquillity, fortitude and kindness left a lasting impression.

“Personally, Tun (Siti Hasmah) was not only a respected figure; she taught me how to conduct myself with dignity and elegance. Her wisdom, coupled with her warmth and pleasant demeanour, made her someone who was so easy to love,” she told The Straits Times.

Despite their close personal bond, Siti Hasmah and Wan Azizah experienced a difficult period when their husbands became political rivals following Anwar’s dismissal as deputy prime minister in September 1998.

The two women reunited in an emotional embrace in November 2016 after Mahathir and Anwar reconciled and formed a political alliance ahead of the 2018 general election.

Born in Klang, Selangor, on 12 July 1926, Siti Hasmah studied medicine at the King Edward VII College of Medicine, a predecessor of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore.

After graduating in 1955, she became one of the first Malay female medical officers in Malaya.

She married her university classmate, Mahathir, in 1956. The couple celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary on August 5 this year.

Their long marriage had inspired many, including former Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and his fiancée, singer-actress Bella Astillah, who sought their marital advice on September 26 ahead of their upcoming wedding.

After Siti Hasmah’s death, Syed Saddiq expressed his grief and recalled her as funny, warm and full of wisdom.

“Today, Tun (Siti Hasmah) is no longer with us. I still can’t process the news. Thank you for giving Bella and me such a wonderful memory,” he wrote on Facebook.

“We won’t be able to fulfil our wish of having Tun attend our wedding. But I promise you, Tun, your advice will be carried into our marriage, into our home, and, Insya-Allah, for the rest of our lives.”

A photograph accompanying his post showed Siti Hasmah cuddling a teddy bear while posing with Syed Saddiq and Bella.

Source: The Straits Times