KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — Retired prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was among the top searches on Google Malaysia’s page after announcing his exit from Umno, the country’s largest political party which he had led for over two decades.
According to Google Malaysia, searches for the term “Mahathir” spiked yesterday at 5.30pm, after he made the surprise announcement an hour earlier.
The 90-year-old’s name was also the most-searched-for item last week and the third most-searched-item in the last 12 months.
Searches for the Malaysian prime minister of 22 years was at its highest in the last 12 months after he posted a list of demands on his blog, questioning decisions made by Putrajaya related to controversies surrounding state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in April 2015.
In a press statement, Google Malaysia also highlighted four other instances when the term “Mahathir” was trending, including in May 2013 when his son Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir became Kedah mentri besar; May 2008 when the Kedah-born veteran politician started his blog; June 2006 when he openly attacked his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi; and in April 2005 when he met former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
Dr Mahathir resigned from Umno yesterday, saying the Malay nationalist party is no longer fulfilling the task set for itself way back in 1946.
