Former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi passed away on April 14, at the age of 85, after many years suffering from dementia.
His son-in-law, former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, shared the news on Instagram, stating that Tun Abdullah passed away at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur at 7:10 PM.
IJN reported that Malaysia's fifth prime minister, affectionately known as "Pak Lah," was hospitalized on the morning of April 13 after experiencing respiratory issues and was placed in the intensive care unit in the cardiology department.
"Despite all medical efforts, he passed away peacefully, in the embrace of loved ones," the hospital said in a press release.
Earlier, Abdullah had been ill in April 2024 due to collapsed lung but had recovered after being treated in the ICU of IJN.
He succeeded Dr. Tun Mahathir Mohamad as the leader of Malaysia in 2003 and immediately achieved a resounding victory in the general election in March 2004, when the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition captured 90 percent of the seats in Parliament.
But the situation changed in 2008, when BN first lost its usual 2/3 majority and had to concede 5 out of 13 state governments in Malaysia to the opposition.
Amid criticism from Dr. Mahathir regarding his leadership abilities, he resigned in April 2009 to hand over power to his deputy Najib Razak.
The BN party led by Umno never recovered after the 2008 defeat, having to concede more ground until it was eventually defeated by the Pakatan Harapan coalition led by Mahathir in 2018.
Despite the sudden loss of credibility, Abdullah is still regarded by many as a well-intentioned prime minister, but he lost increasing support for the political patronage system within BN.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised Abdullah, describing him as an immensely principled and kind leader.
"Pak Lah was not only a leader but also a politician with a great heart, who brought a breath of fresh air to Malaysian politics," Anwar said in a statement, expressing sorrow over the loss of a close friend and former political rival.
Former president of Transparency International Malaysia Akhbar Satar, now head of the Integrity and Governance Association of Malaysia, told The Straits Times: "He (Mr. Abdullah) is the first prime minister to prioritize integrity issues. For him, corruption is the mother of all problems."
Abdullah is survived by his wife Jeanne Abdullah and two children Nori and Tan Sri Kamaluddin from his first wife Endon Mahmood, who passed away from breast cancer in 2005. He also has two stepchildren, Nadiah Kimie and Nadene Kimie, from Tun Jeanne's previous marriage.
According to Khairy, those wishing to pay their last respects can come from 11 AM to 1 PM on April 15 at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, before Abdullah is laid to rest at the Heroes' Mausoleum within the same mosque.
Binance registration link: https://www.binance.com/referral/earn-together/refertoearn2000usdc/claim?hl=en&ref=GRO_14352_4ANEH&utm_medium=app_share_link
PLEASE SUPPORT US BY LIKING, SHARING, COMMENTING, FOLLOWING
SINCERE THANKS!
