Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi | |
|---|---|
| File:Abdullah Badawi.JPG | |
| Prime Minister of Malaysia | |
| Assumed office 31 October 2003 | |
| Monarch | Mizan Zainal Abidin |
| Deputy | Najib Razak |
| Preceded by | Mahathir bin Mohamad |
| Member of Parliament for Kepala Batas | |
| Assumed office 1999 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 November 1939 Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO} part of Barisan Nasional (BN) |
| Spouse(s) | Endon Mahmood Ambak (deceased) Jeanne Danker |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
Datuk Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi[1] (born November 26, 1939 in Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang) is the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia. He is also the President of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest political party in Malaysia, and leads the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition. He is informally known as Pak Lah, 'Pak' meaning uncle while 'Lah' is taken from his name Abdullah. He succeeded Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad.
After Mahathir sacked Anwar Ibrahim, he appointed Abdullah Deputy Prime Minister. Abdullah went on to succeeded Mahathir as Prime Minister in 2003. Abdullah's administration is riddled with controversies concerning the independence of the Parliament and Judiciary. Although Abdullah was elected in 2004 with a huge mandate, he failed to fulfill his election pledge to eradicate corruption or crime. Both these ills remain rampant under his administration.
In 2005, Mahathir began challenging Abdullah on a number of issues, such as the protection of Proton, the flagship national car manufacturer, and the distribution of approval permits for importing foreign-manufactured vehicles. Later in 2006, Mahathir asserted that Abdullah had betrayed his trust, citing the projects and policies which Mahathir introduced but abolished by Abdullah, such as the construction of a bridge linking Malaysia and Singapore to replace the existing Johor-Singapore Causeway.
Early life
After graduation, he joined the Malaysian Administrative and Diplomatic Corps (the formal term for the civil service). He served as Director of Youth at the Ministry of Youth and Sport as well as secretary of the National Emergency Council (MAGERAN). He resigned in 1978 to become the member of parliament for his constituency of Kepala Batas in northern Seberang Perai (which had also been represented by his late father), which he still represents today.
Political career
When UMNO (Baru) was formed in Feb 1988, the then UMNO President and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad brought Abdullah into the protem committee of UMNO (Baru) as the Vice President. In 1990, Abdullah retained his seat as Vice President. During the Cabinet reshuffle in 1991, Mahathir brought Abdullah Ahmad back into the Cabinet as Foreign Minister. He held this post until November 1999 when Syed Hamid Albar succeeded. Even though Abdullah lost his Vice Presidency in the 1993 UMNO elections, he remained in the Cabinet and was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. Prior to 1998, he had also served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Minister of Education, Minister of Defence, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He completed his probation when he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and Minister of Home Affairs following the dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim.
Premiership
In the 2004 general election, Abdullah's first as prime minister, he delivered a landslide victory for his party's coalition Barisan Nasional (of which UMNO is the dominant party) by winning 198 out of 220 seats in parliament and wrested control of the Terengganu state government from the Islamist opposition Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS), as well as coming close to capturing the traditional PAS stronghold of Kelantan. The victory was widely regarded as an approval of his vision of moderate Islam over religious fundamentalism as well as support for his anti-corruption policies.
Economic policies
Abdullah declared an end to the economic legacy and grandiose projects of his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad, during the 57th UMNO General Assembly. He told delegates that he would not pursue the economic strategies adopted two decades ago by Mahathir.
50 years of nationhood
On August 31, 2007, Abdullah shouted 'Merdeka!' meaning 'Independence' during the midnight celebrations of Malaysia's 50 years of nationhood. The celebrations were held at Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur, where thousands of people congregated. His shouting of "Merdeka" emulated the actions of the first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, when the latter declared independence from the British in 1957.[2]
Family
On October 20 2005, Abdullah's late wife, Endon Mahmood, died of breast cancer. She is buried at a Muslim cemetery, at Taman Selatan, Precinct 20, Putrajaya.
On June 6 2007, the Prime Minister's office announced Abdullah's marriage to Jeanne Abdullah. Jeanne was formerly married to the younger brother of Abdullah's late wife. She was also a manager at the Seri Perdana residential complex and has two children from her previous marriage.