IN Malaysia
Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi passed away at the age of 85
Former PM Tun Abdullah Ahamad Badawi passed away at the National Heart Institute (IJN) on Monday, after being admitted on Sunday morning due to breathing difficulties. Despite the best efforts from a group of cardiac specialists, God loved him more and he passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. Following the death of the fifth PM, the Prime Minister’s Department has declared that the late Tun Abdullah will be honoured with a state funeral and during the state funeral, all buildings within a 2km radius of the National Mosque were to fly the Jalur Gemilang at half-mast until the funeral was completed. Tun Abdullah was laid to rest at the canopy section of Makam Pahlawan, the fifth person who was ordained this privilege, after Tun Dr Ismail, Tun Ghafar Baba, Tun Hussein Onn and Tun Abdul Razak. For your information, Makam Pahlawan can only house up to seven statesmen.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/740191
Having served as the fifth PM of Malaysia from 2003 until 2009 until he relinquished his position due to an arguably internal backstabbing, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, more fondly known as Pak Lah was always known as the ‘Mr Nice Guy’ in politics. However, the same ‘Mr Nice Guy’ did win big in the 2004 General Election, sweeping 198 seats out of 220 seats in Parliament. Despite his legacy not in the shape of shining skyscrapers such as the PETRONAS Twin Towers or The Exchange 108, Pak Lah did leave a huge mark, especially in these three matters –
- Corridor development outside of Klang Valley – In 2006, to transform the nation’s economy by not putting all its eggs in one basket, Pak Lah looked beyond the Klang Valley and launched five development corridors namely Iskandar Malaysia in Johor, the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) encompassing Perlis, Penang, Kedah and Perak, the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) spanning Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, Sabah Development Corridor and Sarawak Renewable Energy Corridor. Until today, the five development corridors still stand strong and according to Sunway University economist Professor Yeah Kim Leng, corridors such as NCER and Iskandar Malaysia have successfully managed to attract high-growth and high-value industries, leveraging on the local resource endowments and reduce migration to the more developed states;
Source: https://www.bernama.com/en/region/news.php/news.php?id=2412660
- Boost anti-corruption enforcement in the country – Among the bold steps made by Pak Lah to fight corruption was the introduction of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Special Business Facilitation Task Force (PEMUDAH) to address corruption issues in the public and private sectors. Fast forward to today, MACC has successfully tackled multiple corruption cases including the ones involving his successor, former PM Najib Razak. Recently, MACC also announced that the anti-graft body has recorded over RM1 bil in asset seizures and freezes in 1Q2025 alone.
- Revolutionising cancer care in Malaysia – Motivated by the death of his wife, Endon Mahmood who succumbed to death due to breast cancer in 2005, a 1,065-acre site located in Precinct 7, Putrajaya, was identified and approved for the development of the National Cancer Institute. Under his patronage, Pak Lah contributed greatly to the development of human capital in the Health Ministry and provided support to cancer patients.
Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was the least understood and the most underrated PM in Malaysia. He was a forward-thinking leader, particularly in his emphasis on food security with his then RM4 bil plan in 2008 to boost food security by building stockpiles and raising rice output. Unfortunately, his efforts to improve food security were not well-continued by his successors. Today, Malaysia is far from being independent in sourcing its food as in 2022, the food trade deficit is at a whopping RM31 bil and the country only has a self-sufficiency rate (SSR) of 56.2% for rice in 2023. It is safe to say that Pak Lah was a visionary leader and if he was given more time at the top, he can do way more good things for the nation. Until we see you again Pak Lah and please jaga us from above.
Around the S.E.A.
China’s tour to the Southeast Asia
To counter the US influence in the region and to provide a more stable partner country compared to Uncle Sam, Chinese President Xi Jinping has just landed in Malaysia yesterday to kickstart his three-day visit to the country. Malaysia is the second stop in Xi’s three-leg tour to Southeast Asia, which also includes Vietnam and Cambodia. Xi’s last state visit to Malaysia was in 2013, during which both countries elevated diplomatic relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. For 16 years since 2009, China has remained Malaysia’s largest trading partner, with total trade between the two countries valued at RM484.12 bil in 2024, representing 16.8% of Malaysia’s total global trade (RM2.88 tril).
Source: https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/751634
In other news related to China, in another move in the US-China trade war, the country has ordered its airliners to refuse any future delivery of US-based Boeing aircraft. China’s top three airlines — Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines — had planned to take delivery of 179 Boeing planes, between 2025 and 2027. This will hit Boeing hard, which will lead to an estimated loss of USD15.95 bil in the short term if we use the price of Boeing 737-700 MAX as the benchmark. Boeing’s losses will directly be a win to either EU-based Airbus or locally-owned Comac, as the aviation manufacturing industry is a big sector dominated by a small group of players.
Source: https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/751615
For your EYES only
For those that do not know, below is what Makam Pahlawan looks like, a special final resting place for designated statesmen. Makan Pahlawan consisted of two sections, the canopy and the outer site. The canopy, which is located within the compound of Masjid Negara, can house seven burial plots. Interestingly, our founding father, former PM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, was not buried at Makam Pahlawan but instead opted to be laid at the royal burial site in Langgar, Kedah, alongside his ancestors.
The late Pak Lah will be the fifth Malaysian leader interred beneath the canopy of Masjid Negara’s Makam Pahlawan.
Also laid to rest there are Tun Dr Ismail, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, and Tun Ghafar Baba.
The canopy has space for seven.
📸 @izham17 pic.twitter.com/jCcIznYTkP
— Hadi Azmi (@amerhadiazmi) April 14, 2025
