PUTRAJAYA: Initially smiling as he cycled on a tandem bike, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad eventually became fatigued during his birthday celebration in Putrajaya on Sunday, leaving with his wife before being able to cut the cake.

His aide, Sufi Yusoff, informed Astro Awani that the former prime minister left the event and then was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) around 10am to rest.

`Yes, Tun was truly fatigued. So he left the event early and is now resting. His condition is okay, but he has been advised to rest and is currently at IJN,` he said. Sufi added that Dr Mahathir, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday, is expected to be discharged from IJN later in the evening.

The public picnic and potluck session was held to celebrate Dr Mahathir`s 100th birthday at the Perdana Leadership Foundation. Although it was cut short due to his exhaustion, the event left a lasting impression on many Malaysians who gathered in Putrajaya.

Nickozie Mazlan, a 51-year-old housewife from Selangor, along with her family and friends, designed a T-shirt featuring Dr Mahathir`s face and a wooden block with his name engraved on it to gift him during the event.

`A few of us had prepared these items to give to him, but unfortunately he had to leave early. Hopefully, we`ll get another chance to present them to him,` said Nickozie.

She also mentioned that meeting Dr Mahathir and his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, was a great honour for her. Young politics enthusiast Su Wilma Ishika Mohd Azlan Shah, 21, who attended with over 20 people including friends and family, claimed the picnic had a memorable atmosphere despite having met Dr Mahathir several times before.

`Dr Mahathir is an inspiring figure to me, especially as someone young, and I admire his leadership and resilience,` said Su, a mass communication student from Shah Alam.-The Star (Malaysia)/ANN