Propping up a 2kg chocolate-vanilla cake, the owner of the shop, his brother and friends sang “Allah selamatkan kamu” (God save you) at their stall on Phee Choon Road today.
“Mahathir is 93. We are here to appreciate him, as at this age, he is in his best of health, not nyanyuk (senile), can stand for hours and even talk for hours.
“And we hope he will be granted a long life, amin,” businessman Hamid Sultan Abdul Jabbar, 58, said today.
Hamid’s brother, Ahmad Ansari, recited a prayer to wish the prime minister good health and long life.
Hamid also announced that he and his brother Ansari — who runs the roti bakar stall — would donate RM1,000 to the Tabung Harapan Malaysia, a trust fund set up by the Pakatan Harapan government to pay off the country’s debts.
Mahathir, who was born in Alor Star on July 10, 1925, has often been admired for his youthful energy.
He has attributed his good health to maintaining an active lifestyle after retiring from 22 years’ of service as prime minister in 2003.
Mahathir, who is a medical doctor, told Bernama that staying idle would only lead to “deteriorating muscles” and an idle brain could also cause one to become senile.
“If you lie down all the time, the muscles (eventually) cannot even carry your weight. You cannot stand, you cannot walk.
“So it’s not good when you are old for you just to lie down and do nothing,” he said, pointing out that it was the same with a person’s brain.
In an interview with a local English newspaper, Mahathir underlined the importance of not overeating – an advice, he said, was given by his late mother.
“My mother told me that when the food is nice, stop,” he said, admitting that it was difficult at first but it became easy after some time.