Former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Recently Passed Away.

Obituary

In April 2025, Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi, the former Prime Minister (PM) of Malaysia, affectionately known as ‘Pak Lah’ (Uncle Lah), passed away at the age of 85 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was born on November 26, 1939, in the northern Malaysian state of Penang.


      - He served as the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2003 to 2009.

      - Before beginning his political journey, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi served in the Malaysian civil service for 14 years, resigning in 1978 to become a Member of Parliament (MP). During his political career, he also held key positions such as Defence Minister and Foreign Minister of Malaysia.

     

Main Point :-   (i) In January 1999, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia as well as Home Affairs Minister, holding both positions until 2003.

      (ii) He became the Prime Minister of Malaysia in 2003, succeeding Mahathir bin Mohamad, the long-serving and authoritative leader who had held power for 22 years before stepping down.

(iii) Abdullah remained in office until 2009, stepping down after the then-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, led by his party United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), lost its parliamentary supermajority for the first time since Malaysia’s independence in 1957.

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