Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad attended Malaysia's 69th National Day celebrations at Dataran Putrajaya on August 31, 2026, sitting in an electric wheelchair due to his recent health issues [1, 2]. At age 101, Mahathir greeted members of the public and waved to the crowd, as shown in a live video streamed on his official TikTok account, @chedetofficial [1, 2]. This marked his first time attending the National Day festivities while using an electric wheelchair at Putrajaya [2].
Mahathir shared a brief National Day message on Facebook, saying, "Happy Independence Day and 69th National Day, Malaysia," alongside a video recalling his two terms as prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and 2018 to 2020 [1, 2]. Earlier this year, on January 6, 2026, Mahathir fractured his hip after a fall at home and underwent rehabilitation at the National Heart Centre [2]. He was also hospitalized in July 2025 due to fatigue following his 100th birthday celebrations [2].
According to federal protocol established since 2018, former prime ministers are not automatically invited to the National Day celebrations. Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah explained, "Based on practice established since 2018, invitations to National Day celebrations are no longer automatically extended to former prime ministers" [3]. However, they can attend if they submit a formal request through the proper channels and are not prohibited from attending [3].
The National Day 2026 Secretariat clarified on September 1 that Mahathir’s application to use the Overseas Rest Facilities from August 28 to 31 was approved by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to facilitate his attendance at the celebrations [3].
Mahathir’s continued public presence despite recent health challenges highlights his enduring role in Malaysian political history. The next scheduled National Day event will be on August 31, 2027.
