After spending 70 years of marriage together, returning home without Tun Dr Hasmah Mohd Ali may be especially difficult for her husband, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
His son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, said it may be better for the former Prime Minister to remain at the National Heart Institute (IJN) for now, where he is currently under medical observation, as reported by Berita Harian.
Mukhriz said Tun M needs some time to come to terms with the loss of his wife, who passed away at IJN on Monday (29 September) at the age of 100.
“Everything at home will remind him of her”
Mukhriz explained that being at home could potentially make the grieving process even harder for his father. He added that the emotional impact of losing his lifelong companion could also manifest physically, which is why he believes remaining under observation at IJN for the time being would be better.
“I think that even if he were to stay at home, everything he sees would probably remind him even more of the late Tun Hasmah.
“So it would be better for Tun M to remain at IJN for now, perhaps until he has fully recovered,” he was quoted as saying
For a couple who had been married since 1956, the loss represents the end of a partnership that lasted seven decades.
A marriage that began in medical school
Before becoming one of Malaysia’s best-known political couples, Mahathir and Dr Hasmah first met while studying medicine.
Born in Kampung Jawa, Klang, in 1926, Dr Hasmah studied medicine at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore on a government scholarship. She was reportedly the only Malay female student in her cohort.
The two eventually married in 1956 and went on to have seven children.
As Tun M remains at IJN following her death, his family is giving him time to recover both physically and from the loss of the person who had been by his side for most of his life.
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