KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 – Malaysia’s fifth Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has passed away.
In an Instagram story, his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, announced that his father-in-law passed away at the National Heart Institute at 7.10pm on Friday (April 14).
Affectionately known as Pak Lah, Abdullah became prime minister in 2003 after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ended his 22-year tenure.
He earned the title of Malaysia’s “father of human capital development” after introducing the National Human Capital Policy during his tenure as prime minister.
Abdullah’s health had been declining in recent years due to dementia, which affected his memory, including the names of his family members.
He is survived by his wife, Jeanne Abdullah, and two children, Nori and Kamaluddin, from his first wife Endon Mahmood, who died of breast cancer in 2005. He also had two stepchildren, Nadiah Kimie and Nadene Kimie, from Jeanne’s previous marriage.
