State funeral for Abdullah Badawi: Malaysian leaders turn up in full force to pay respects to former PM
Dubbed “Mr Clean” and “Mr Nice Guy”, Abdullah introduced various institutional and human rights reforms during his tenure as Malaysia’s fifth prime minister from 2003 to 2009.
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian leaders past and present showed up in full force on Tuesday (Apr 15) to pay their last respects to former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at a state funeral.
Abdullah, affectionately known as Pak Lah, died on Monday at the age of 85.
Four of Malaysia’s former prime ministers as well as current premier Anwar Ibrahim were among those seen at the solemn ceremony held at the Masjid Negara or National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur.
Abdullah’s successor and jailed former leader Najib Razak was among the first to be seen at the state funeral at 10.40am, according to local news outlet Sinar Harian.
Clad in a black outfit and songkok, Najib entered the main prayer hall through the back entrance used by mosque officials, local news outlet Malay Mail reported.
He was escorted by the Federal Reserve Unit personnel who stood briefly before Abdullah's casket.
It was reported earlier that Najib obtained permission from the High Court to leave prison temporarily to attend the state funeral proceedings.
Najib was imprisoned for his role in a multibillion-dollar fraud at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
He was found guilty in 2020 of criminal breach of trust and abuse of power for illegally receiving funds misappropriated from a unit of 1MDB. He is on trial for corruption in several other 1MDB-linked cases and denies wrongdoing.
His lead lawyer Shafee Abdullah also said that his client was given clearance to leave the 1MDB trial to pay his last respects.
Najib had served as Abdullah’s deputy from 2004 until Abdullah stepped down in 2009, with Najib then succeeding him as the prime minister.
CNA also spotted Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor at Masjid Negara.
Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his son Mukhriz Mahathir arrived at about 11am, also decked in black.
Known to be critical of Abdullah, Mahathir on Tuesday commended his successor.
“He took over as prime minister after I resigned and when he became prime minister, he led the 2004 general election with one of the most remarkable victories in history, securing 90 per cent of the vote for the government," Mahathir told reporters on Tuesday at Masjid Negara, as quoted by local news outlet Malay Mail.
He was referring to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) victory in the 2004 general election. Abdullah was the president of UMNO then.
Mahathir also said that Abdullah had faced many challenges during his time in office, which contributed to a weaker performance for the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition - which UMNO is part of - in the 2008 general election.
However, he commended Abdullah for willingly stepping aside and handing over the premiership to his successor Najib when the results were less favourable and calls for his resignation grew.
“That was the Malaysian way, when we retire, we leave peacefully without conflict and pass the leadership to our successor,” he added.
Other former Prime Ministers Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob also paid their last respects, according to local media.
Current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim arrived at the main prayer hall of the mosque at about 1pm.
He was accompanied by several Cabinet ministers including Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Also present paying their last respects were Malaysia’s two Deputy Prime Ministers - Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Fadillah Yusof.
Well-known national and international political figures were also seen arriving at Abdullah's state funeral on Tuesday.
Singapore Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong attended, accompanied by his wife Ho Ching and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Malaysian government decided to accord a state funeral ceremony to the former prime minister at the National Heroes Mausoleum at Masjid Negara or the National Mosque, the Malaysia’s Prime Minister’s Department confirmed on Monday.
The statement also said that all buildings within a 2km radius of the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur must fly the national flag, or the Jalur Gemilang, at half-mast until the completion of the funeral ceremony.
Abdullah was Malaysia’s fifth prime minister from 2003 to 2009, following the resignation of Mahathir who led the country for 22 years.
Abdullah was laid to rest at around 2.30pm at the National Heroes Mausoleum at Masjid Negara, according to Malay Mail.
His casket, draped in the national flag, was carried by eight army personnel from the main prayer hall to the mausoleum following the completion of funeral prayers.
Statesmen, political leaders, and members of the public followed closely behind as the casket was brought to the entrance of the mausoleum.
Abdullah is the fifth national leader to be interred at the mausoleum, according to Malay Mail.
The others buried there were former Prime Ministers Abdul Razak Hussein and Hussein Onn, as well as former Deputy Prime Ministers Ismail Abdul Rahman and Abdul Ghafar Baba.
TRIBUTES POUR IN
Prominent figures from both the ruling government and the opposition have also shared their memories of the former leader.
President of Malaysia's opposition Parti Islam Se Malaysia (PAS) Hadi Awang said Abdullah would be remembered as a calm and courteous figure who brought a moderate approach to his administration.
“May Allah … bestow His mercy upon his soul, forgive his sins, accept his good deeds, and place him among His faithful and righteous servants,” said Hadi, as quoted by the Malay Mail.
PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan also conveyed his party’s condolences over Abdullah’s passing.
“He will remain in the nation’s history and the memory of the people as a charismatic, honest, noble leader who was respected by the people,” he said in a Facebook post on behalf of his party on Monday.
Dubbed “Mr Clean” and “Mr Nice Guy”, Abdullah introduced various institutional and human rights reforms during his tenure and is also regarded as the country’s father of human capital development.
“The merits and contributions of Allahyarham Tun Abdullah in driving the development of Malaysia are enormous,” said Muhyiddin in a Facebook post on Monday.
He added that Abdullah introduced the concept of Islam Hadhari that focuses on improving the quality of life of the people holistically through the mastery of knowledge in various fields as well as the development of human capital.
Abdullah advocated for this progressive and more tolerant interpretation of Islam in 2004.
Anwar said it has ensured Malaysia “advanced with a human touch”, by bridging ”progress and development with values”.
Anwar noted that Abdullah was always a calming presence amid the tumult of politics, and always extended courtesy even when they were in opposing camps.
“Above all, Pak Lah taught us the meaning of humanity in leadership. He led with a face that was not angry, hands that did not grab at power, and a voice that was never raised despite relentless attacks,” he added in a Facebook post.
Both Anwar and Abdullah had worked together in UMNO, which was part of the ruling coalition in the 1990s, with Anwar serving as the deputy prime minister under Mahathir while Abdullah took on various roles within the government, including as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
UMNO’s top two leaders currently - its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and deputy president Mohamad Hasan - also paid tributes to the statesman.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Malaysia’s deputy prime minister, said that Abdullah was a mentor and leader whom he respected a lot, with his passing being a huge loss for the nation.
“In my career, Tun (Abdullah) gave me the opportunity to grow and provided a lot of invaluable advice,” he said in a Facebook post on Monday.
Zahid also paid his respects at the former prime minister’s residence on Monday night.
Hasan, who was at the National Heart Institute where Abdullah passed away, told reporters that the nation had lost a remarkable leader, describing Abdullah as a true statesman whose leadership was marked by sincerity and a strong sense of duty.
“I personally feel very sad about his passing,” he was quoted as saying on Monday by Free Malaysia Today.
Meanwhile, residents of the Kepala Batas constituency in Penang which Pak Lah represented in parliament for seven terms since 1978, hailed him for playing a pivotal role in bringing progress to the area, including the establishment of an educational institution during his tenure.
“Throughout his service, Kepala Batas experienced prosperity and transformed from a cowboy town into a developed city,” chairman of the Al Jamiul Badawi Mosque in Kepala Batas, Shariful Azhar Othman told local news outlet Harian Metro.
Beyond Malaysia, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has also expressed condolences to the people of Malaysia.
"Tun Abdullah was an inspiration to many. He elevated ASEAN’s international standing and defended regionalism at a time of great change in the global community," Wong said in a condolence letter to Anwar, released by Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
"Tun Abdullah faithfully served the Malaysian people and made significant improvements to Malaysia’s economic and social development."
Wong also wrote a condolence letter to Abdullah's wife, Jeanne Abdullah.
In a tribute on Facebook, Senior Minister Lee of Singapore expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Tun Abdullah.
He shared that it had been a “great privilege” to have known him personally.
“I knew Pak Lah since we became PMs. He served his country with great dedication, working tirelessly to tackle Malaysia’s challenges and uplift the lives of Malaysians,” he said on Monday.
Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also said in a Facebook post on Monday that he was "deeply saddened" by Abdullah's death.
Recalling their past working relationship, he added: "Tun Abdullah was a distinguished leader and served in Malaysia's Cabinet for many years. We worked with him closely over the years.
"During his tenure as PM, we made progress in our bilateral issues, including the development of Iskandar Malaysia in Johor. My thoughts are with his family and the people of Malaysia during this time of grief.”
Abdullah died at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur at 7.10pm on Monday, his son-in-law and former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin confirmed in an Instagram post.
Abdullah was admitted on Sunday morning after experiencing breathing difficulties and was immediately placed under intensive care, the institute said in a statement.
Concerns about Abdullah's health mounted in recent years and Khairy revealed in September 2022 that Abdullah had dementia.
The last time a former prime minister passed away in Malaysia was in December 1990, when the country’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman died at the age of 87.
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