This morning, the whole of Malaysia descended into deep sadness after news of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah’s passing was confirmed by her family.
In light of her death, it’s worth looking into notable achievements she accomplished in her lifetime to better understand why she’s so revered and loved by many.
1. Was the only Malay female student in her class
Born in Kampung Jawa, Klang in 1926, Siti Hasmah received her early education at Methodist Girls’ School, St Mary’s School and Pudu English School.
After World War II, she went to study medicine at King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore under a scholarship, making her one of the earliest Malay women to pursue medicine.
During her 2003 speech, Siti Hasmah noted that out of the 75 students in her 1947 intake, 10 (including her) were girls and she stood out as the sole Malay representative.
2. Married to Mahathir for 70 years
In 1955, Siti Hasmah met her future husband Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when they were both medical students in Singapore.
On Aug 4, 1956, they got married and had seven children together. Among the most notable ones include social activist and writer Marina Mahathir and former Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.
Over the years of their decades-long marriage, Siti Hasmah and Mahathir have long been described as a loving couple as they never shied away from showing affection for each other, be it in private or in public.
3. A trailblazer in healthcare
In 1965, Siti Hasmah was appointed to be the first female Medical Officer in the Maternal and Child Health Department in Kedah. She was later appointed as State Maternal and Child Health Officer in Kedah, making her the first woman to hold the role in 1974.
Throughout her 18 years of public service in the state, Siti Hasmah worked hard to bring health education and preventive medicine into rural communities who couldn’t gain access to it, as well as address traditional practices surrounding childbirth and post-natal care that were potentially harmful.
Thanks to her work, she was credited by Universiti Malaya (UM) as an “important early advocate for women’s health and preventive medicine in the country.”
4. Championed for drug abuse & mental health awareness
Even after becoming the First Lady when Mahathir became Prime Minister in 1981, Siti Hasmah did not let her political duties prevent her from continuing her social work.
One of the areas she was heavily involved in was drug abuse prevention, where she participated in initiatives aimed at educating young people about the dangers of drug abuse in her capacity as president of BAKTI (Welfare Club of the Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers).
She was later invited to the First Ladies’ Conference on Drug Abuse in Washington, DC, at the invitation of Nancy Reagan in 1985 and represented Malaysia at the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Vienna in 1987.
Siti Hasmah was also a fierce mental health advocate and was invited by former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter to participate in the National Committee of the World Federation of Mental Health.
5. Bestowed multiple doctorates & ‘Tun’ title
Over her decorated career, Siti Hasmah was awarded several honorary doctorates from both local and overseas institutions, with notable institutions being Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaya (UM), Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and University of Edinburgh.
However, her most famous title was the ‘Tun’ title, which was awarded to her on Oct 31, 2003, making her the first wife of a Malaysian prime minister to receive the title.
6. Was a skilled musician
Perhaps one of the least known facts about Siti Hasmah was her natural talent for playing musical instruments such as the violin and piano, a skill she developed in her twenties and carried on in her later years.
She also learnt how to play the organ by attending a play-by-ear course and even took up the erhu, a traditional Chinese bowed string instrument that’s considered by many to be extremely difficult to master.
When asked what her most favourite songs to play were, she listed P. Ramlee’s ‘Getaran Jiwa’, ‘Jangan Ditanya Ke Mana Aku Pergi’, and ‘One Day When We Were Young’ as some of them.
In 2018, Siti Hasmah auctioned one of her prized violins for RM35,000 in order to raise funds for the 14th General Election.
7. A celebrated author
Horrified by the mass destruction carried out by war, Siti Hasmah took part in a humanitarian fact-finding mission to Baghdad, Iraq in 2000 to observe the humanitarian consequences of economic sanctions imposed on Iraq.
She later published a coffee-table book named ‘Speaking of Mass Destruction’ concerning the mission in 2021.
Siti Hasmah is best well-known for her 2016 autobiography ‘My Name is Hasmah’, where she fondly described Mahathir as her “hero”.
Eight years after the book’s publication, she publicly requested that people not address her as “Siti” and to simply call her ‘Hasmah’, a gesture which cemented her image as a gentle, motherly figure in the minds of many Malaysians.
8. Revealed her secret for a long life
When she turned 100 this year, Siti Hasmah was asked what was her secret in living such a long, fulfilling life.
Her answer? She simply gave four tips that everyone can follow: eating sensibly, exercising regularly, getting sufficient rest, and maintaining a positive outlook.
Thank you for all your years of dedication and contribution for Malaysia. May you rest in peace, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah.
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