Abdullah Badawi, 5th M'sia prime minister, dies at 85

Malaysia's fifth prime minister Abdullah Badawi passed away on Apr. 14. He was 85.

Badawi's death was announced via his son-in-law and former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin's Instagram account.

The Malay Mail quoted Khairy's account, saying that Badawi had died at the National Heart Institute.

Badawi was PM from 2003 to 2009, and was the first PM after the over two-decade-long first prime ministership of Mahathir Mohamad.

Badawi stepped down after a presiding over a general election that saw the ruling UMNO party lose its two-thirds majority for the first time in history, after facing heavy criticism from his predecessor.

Friend, mentor, and respected leader

His immediate successor Najib Razak, and the current incumbent PM Anwar Ibrahim have expressed their condolences in social media posts.

Najib called Badawi by his nickname "Pak Lah", calling him a friend, mentor, and respected leader", as well as a "a person of integrity".

He said that Badawi would be remembered for "his contribution to religion, race, and country", and was "such a noble person".

Soul stirring

Anwar called the news of Badawi's passing "soul-stirring", calling him his friend.

He recounted his last meeting with Badawi, who he said had been in a "bad condition".

In 2022, Khairy revealed that Badawi had been suffering from dementia, and no longer recognised his family members.

Anwar paid tribute to Badawi's judicial reforms, his efforts in governmental transparency, as well as institutional empowerment.

He also credited him for "liberating the voice of the people", and said he "taught us the meaning of humanity in leadership".

Top image via Wikipedia & Anwar Ibrahim/Facebook