Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
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| Order: | 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia |
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| Term of Office: | October 31, 2003 - present |
| Date of Birth: | November 26, 1939 |
| Date of Death: | – |
| Place of Birth | Penang |
| Place of Death | – |
| Wife | Endon Mahmood Ambak |
| Occupation | civil servant |
| Political Party: | UMNO |
| Deputy PM: | Najib Tun Razak (2003-) |
Y.A.B. Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi (born November 26, 1939) is the current prime minister of Malaysia, succeeding Mahathir bin Mohamad. He is informally known as Pak Lah (see below).
Abdullah was born to a prominent family in Kepala Batas, Penang. He received a Bachelor of Art in Islamic 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). He resigned in 1978 to become the member of parliament for his constituency of Kepala Batas, 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 another political figure, Tengku Razaleigh. Mahathir prevailed and Razaleigh was expelled from UMNO. Abdullah was in Team B and as a result, he was sacked from the cabinet. He was rehabilitated during the early 1990s, being given a series of minor portfolios, including Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Education. His rehabilitation was completed when he was appointed deputy prime minister following the dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim. As Home Minister, Abdullah personally rescinded the ban on the Iban Bible.
Since coming into power as prime minister, Abdullah has clamped 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 Mahathir-era cronies 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.
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In the 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, of the police forces recently.
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.
Abdullah is also the chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, and has held that position since he became prime minister.
External links
- [1] (http://www.pmo.gov.my) Official Website
- [2] (http://www.pmo.gov.my/website/webdb.nsf/vf_Front_PM?OpenForm) Profile from Official Website