Mahathir's still talking shop with Jokowi. Is he 'active ageing'?

Some say it's better to leave the party than be shown the door.

- Lim Ai Leen

When I read that Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad had flown to Solo in late February to meet former Indonesian president Joko Widodo, my first reaction was to groan inwardly.

Here we go again, I thought. The "old man", as he is affectionately referred to, is still trying to show he matters.

Surely, mere months before his 100th birthday, it's now time to hang up his boots and let the next generation of leaders get on with the job? Surely he doesn't need to talk shop with Jokowi (as Mr Widodo is popularly known) on bilateral cooperation and economic ties?

Apparently the answers are no, it's not time yet, and yes, he still does. A week after the Solo jaunt, the first episode of his new podcast launched, with Tun Dr Mahathir giving us his views on the war in Ukraine.

To be fair, this is an elder statesman who's respected for being sharp and candid, and having a knack for the caustic gibe. He's widely admired for driving Malaysia's rapid economic transformation during his first term from 1981 to 2003, and for coming out of retirement to spearhead the country's first change of government in the historic May 2018 polls.

Since then, however, his political career has been less illustrious. He was outmanoeuvered by his own party, lost his seat and deposit at the 2022 elections, and now leads a motley crew with zero representatives in Parliament.

It's been five years since he resigned from his second stint as PM, yet he is adamant he still has a role to play.

"Maybe he's active ageing," suggested a colleague, using the tagline from the Singapore government programme which supports seniors through social and health activities. He could well be a poster boy for this campaign.