Despite a controversial career in politics, Datuk Seri Mahathir bin Mohamad (born 1925) became prime minister of Malaysia in 1981 and then won four consecutive elections. He is listed as the 41st oldest office-holders among the worldwide leadership.

One of the most distinctive of Prime Minister Mahathir's characteristics, his imposing titles notwithstanding, was that he was the first chief executive of Malaysia to come from a modest social background. Whereas the first three prime ministers were members of the "royal families" which gave Malay society its elitist--some would say feudal--quality, Mahathir was the son of a school teacher. His childhood experiences in Alor Star, the provincial capital of Kedah state, included selling fried bananas in the public market.

Just as his relatively humble origins probably would explain his failure to qualify for legal studies in Great Britain, they also may help account for his aggressive, even abrasive, approach to politics...