Mahathir Mohamad, the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, formed the first Mahathir cabinet in 1981 after being invited by Tuanku Ahmad Shah to form a new government following the resignation of the previous Prime Minister, Hussein Onn. Hussein had presided over the second Hussein cabinet, a coalition government that consisted of members of the component parties of Barisan Nasional. It was the 9th cabinet of Malaysia formed since independence.

The prime minister of Malaysia is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the federal government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister as a member of Parliament (MP) who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party winning the most seats in a general election.