KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was listed among Time magazine’s 100 most influential people this year, following the victory of Pakatan Harapan (PH) on May 9 last year.

In the profile written by Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown, she described him as a “formidable old warhorse” who had dazzled during the gruelling election campaign.

“You don’t have to be young to fight the power,” Rewcastle-Brown wrote, pointing at Dr Mahathir’s crusade against Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.

“Venting moral outrage, the colloquially called Dr M swept back to power in a landslide election victory in May 2018 at age 92.”

She wrote that the PH chairman’s reliance on core values had united various groups, while at the same time inspired trust with his age.

“Now 93, [Dr Mahathir] has committed to hand over power to the former leader of the opposition, Anwar Ibrahim, 71, whom he released from jail days after his victory.

“For Malaysia, the episode has re-established democracy in a country that almost teetered into totalitarianism,” she said.

The Bersatu chairman was listed in the “Leaders” category, together with a diverse list that included from US president Donald Trump and Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Pope Francis.