A lokacin da yake kwaleji ya ba da gudummawa ga The Straits Times a ƙarƙashin sunan "C.H.E. Det", da kuma jaridar dalibi, wanda ya ba da gudummawa sosai ga haƙƙin Malay, kamar maido da Malay a matsayin harshen hukuma. Yayin da yake aiki a matsayin likita a Al Setor, Mahathir ya zama mai aiki a UMNO; a lokacin babban zaben farko na jihar Malaya mai zaman kanta a 1959, shi ne shugaban jam'iyyar a Kedah. Duk da shahararsa a UMNO, Mahathir bai kasance dan takarar shugaban kasa a zaben 1959 ba, bayan rashin jituwa da Firayim Ministan Malaysia a kwalejin likita. Duk da haka, ya yi watsi da kansa a matsayin babban dan takarar shugaban jam'iyyar, bayan da aka yi watsi da shi a matsayin babban dan takarar jam'iyyar siyasa na kasa, bayan da aka yi watsi da shi a matsayin babban dan takarar jam'iyyar siyasa na kasa, bayan da aka yi watsi da shi a matsayin babban dan takarar jam'iyyar siyasa na kasa, bayan da aka yi watsi da shi a matsayin babban dan takarar jam'iyyar siyasa na kasa, bayan da aka yi watsi da shi a matsayin babban dan tak
Mahathir