Abdullah Ahmad Badawi: Difference between revisions
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[[Malay titles|Dato' Seri]] '''Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi''' (born [[November 26]], [[1939]]) is the current [[prime minister of Malaysia]], succeeding Tun Dr. [[Mahathir bin Mohamad]]. He is informally known as ''Pak Lah'' (see below). |
[[Malay titles|Dato' Seri]] '''Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi''' (born [[November 26]], [[1939]]) is the current [[prime minister of Malaysia]], succeeding Tun Dr. [[Mahathir bin Mohamad]]. He is informally known as ''Pak Lah'' (see below). |
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Abdullah was born to a prominent religious family in Kepala Batas, [[Penang]]. He received a [[Bachelor of Art]] in [[Islam]]ic Studies from the [[University of Malaya]] in 1964. After graduation, he joined the Malaysian Administrative and Diplomatic Corps (the formal term for the civil service). Before that, he was a Bukit Mertajam High School teacher. He served as Director of Youth at the Ministry of Youth and Sports 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. |
Abdullah was born to a prominent religious family in Kepala Batas, [[Penang]]. He received a [[Bachelor of Art]] in [[Islam]]ic Studies from the [[University of Malaya]] in 1964, having originally wished to pursue a degree in [[Economics]] but failing to meet the required standard after failing his [[statistics]] paper. After graduation, he joined the Malaysian Administrative and Diplomatic Corps (the formal term for the civil service). Before that, he was a Bukit Mertajam High School teacher. He served as Director of Youth at the Ministry of Youth and Sports 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. |
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Early during Mahathir's tenure as prime minister, a bitter dispute erupted within the ruling [[UMNO]] party and the two camps were colloquially known as 'Team A' which was comprised of Mahathir loyalists, and 'Team B', which supported former Minister of Finance [[Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah]] and former Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam. Mahathir prevailed, leading to the exclusion of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah from the newly-established UMNO (Baru) or New UMNO. Abdullah was a close supporter of his political mentor Musa Hitam in Team B and as a result, he was sacked from his post of Minister of Defence in the cabinet. |
Early during Mahathir's tenure as prime minister, a bitter dispute erupted within the ruling [[UMNO]] party and the two camps were colloquially known as 'Team A' which was comprised of Mahathir loyalists, and 'Team B', which supported former Minister of Finance [[Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah]] and former Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam. Mahathir prevailed, leading to the exclusion of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah from the newly-established UMNO (Baru) or New UMNO. Abdullah was a close supporter of his political mentor Musa Hitam in Team B and as a result, he was sacked from his post of Minister of Defence in the cabinet. |
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Revision as of 18:02, 8 March 2006
| Order: | 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Term of Office: | October 31, 2003 - present |
| Date of Birth: | November 26, 1939 |
| Place of Birth | Kepala Batas Penang |
| Wife | Endon Mahmood Ambak (deceased) |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
| Political Party: | UMNO |
| Deputy PM: | Najib Tun Razak (2003-) |
Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi (born November 26, 1939) is the current prime minister of Malaysia, succeeding Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. He is informally known as Pak Lah (see below).
Abdullah was born to a prominent religious family in Kepala Batas, Penang. He received a Bachelor of Art in Islamic Studies from the University of Malaya in 1964, having originally wished to pursue a degree in Economics but failing to meet the required standard after failing his statistics paper. After graduation, he joined the Malaysian Administrative and Diplomatic Corps (the formal term for the civil service). Before that, he was a Bukit Mertajam High School teacher. He served as Director of Youth at the Ministry of Youth and Sports 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.
Early during Mahathir's tenure as prime minister, a bitter dispute erupted within the ruling UMNO party and the two camps were colloquially known as 'Team A' which was comprised of Mahathir loyalists, and 'Team B', which supported former Minister of Finance Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and former Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam. Mahathir prevailed, leading to the exclusion of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah from the newly-established UMNO (Baru) or New UMNO. Abdullah was a close supporter of his political mentor Musa Hitam in Team B and as a result, he was sacked from his post of Minister of Defence in the cabinet.
He was rehabilitated in 1993 after winning the UMNO Vice Presidency and was given the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs. Prior to 1987, he had also served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Minister of Youth and Sports, Minister of Defence and Minister of Foreign Affairs. His rehabilitation was completed when he was appointed deputy prime minister and Minister for Home Affairs following the dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim. As Minister of Home Affairs, Abdullah used his powers to rescind the ban on the Iban language Bible.
Premiership
Since coming into power as prime minister, Abdullah has promised to clamp down on corruption, giving more power to anti-corruption agencies and making it easier for the public to reveal corrupt practices to the authorities. He has also arrested several public figures from the Mahathir era on charges of corruption, a move which is widely applauded by the public. He has advocated an interpretation of Islam known as Islam Hadhari, which maintains that Islam and economic and technological development are not incompatible. Apart from that, his administration has been emphasizing a revival of the Malaysian agricultural sector.
In the eleventh 2004 general election, Abdullah's first election as the incumbent prime minister, he delivered a stunning 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 back 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, and support for his anti-corruption policies.
In September 2004, upon his release from prison, Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister jailed since 1999 by former Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad, publicly credited Abdullah for not interfering with the judiciary's overturning of his sodomy conviction.
On September 10, 2004, Abdullah, as finance minister, tabled his maiden budget, which is seen by the public as being more consolidation and maintenance-oriented as opposed to the growth policies emphasised by Mahathir.
Abdullah is also known for stressing on Malaysia's internal security, after witnessing an increase in corruptive practices, such as bribery in the police force.
Abdullah is unofficially known in Malay circles in Malaysia as Pak Lah (Malay diminutive for "Uncle Abdullah"). The Malaysian government has issued a statement that the prime minister should not be referred to by this nickname in official articles and in newsprint; however, the nickname is still used informally. In fact, Abdullah himself often uses the nickname to refer to himself in public gatherings.
Abdullah is also the chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Conference, and has held both positions since he became prime minister. As of 2005, he is also the chairman of ASEAN.
On October 20 2005, Abdullah's wife Endon Mahmood passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. She died at 7.55am. Endon discovered she had breast cancer in 2003 while her twin sister Noraini who had earlier been diagnosed with the disease died in January 2003. She received treatment in the United States and returned to Malaysia 18 days before her death. She is buried at the Muslim cemetery, at Taman Selatan, Precinct 20, Putrajaya.