The Apple and the Tree

When an apple falls, does it roll far or stay close to its tree? Is it an exact clone of all the other apples the tree produces or something entirely different? This is the question that has perplexed the public about me for the simple reason that I am the daughter of the man who has governed Malaysia for almost 24 years. Do I echo him in his view of the world, or do I chart my own path? Why is it that in my own public life, in my writing and speeches, I express opinions that seem to contradict his? This book hopes to detail how I have navigated my life as the daughter of a charismatic politician and a loving father, even as sometimes I have chafed at being constantly under his shadow. It talks about how I have struggled to find my own identity, to defend my worldview at times and to reconcile them with his at others. I tell the story of growing up as the daughter of Malaysia’s most influential leader, from the values instilled in me as a child, right up to the day he was forced to step down as the 7th Prime Minister after leading the historic ouster of the government he used to lead. It is my story, from my perspective and no one else’s. It is, I hope, the answer to that question: what is it like to be Dr M’s daughter?