Abdullah was a humble leader, never spoke ill of others - Former Bernama chairman

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s fifth Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was a humble, approachable, sincere and honest leader who disliked speaking ill of others.

Former Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chairman Tan Sri Mohd Annuar Zaini, said the late leader, affectionately known as ‘Pak Lah’, had a way of making anyone feel comfortable talking to him.

Mohd Annuar recalled his first meeting with the late Abdullah when the former Prime Minister was serving as a youth director, and he himself was a student leader in the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS).

"I was entrusted by Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to lead Bernama as its chairman, but I have known Abdullah Badawi since I was a student. The first time I met Abdullah Badawi, he was known as ‘Encik Lah Badawi’.

"I saw him as a very humble person. He made people feel comfortable speaking and conversing with him, and he treated everyone with equal respect, making us feel at ease to speak freely about anything," he said during a phone interview on the Ruang Bicara programme aired by Bernama TV last night.

Mohd Annuar, who is also Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPK) president, said throughout his experience working with the statesman, he found that Abdullah disliked conflict, disagreements, or quarrels.

He said Abdullah would try to find a middle ground to reconcile people who had differences of opinion.

"I saw that Tun Abdullah always saw himself as a servant of Allah. Whatever responsibility was entrusted to him, he carried it as a trust.

"He was always worried about how he would face Allah SWT on the Day of Judgement. Because of this, he was very worried if he did anything that involved wrongdoing or made decisions that would burden him, not only in this world but in the Hereafter,” he added

Abdullah breathed his last at the National Heart Institute (IJN) at 7.10 pm yesterday at the age of 85. - BERNAMA