Former Prime Minister Mohamed Mahathir’s political career spanned more than 40 years and was Prime Minister of Malaysia for 22 years. During Mahathir's tenure as Prime Minister, Malaysia experienced a period of rapid modernisation and economic growth, and his government initiated a series of bold infrastructure projects. As Prime Minister, he was an advocate of third-world development and a prominent international activist in support of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and the interests of Bosnians in the Balkans conflict of the 1990s. He remains an active political figure in Malaysia.