SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong will attend the state funeral of former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday (Apr 15).
Mr Lee will be accompanied by his wife Mdm Ho Ching and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office announced earlier on Tuesday that Abdullah will be accorded a state funeral ceremony at the National Heroes Mausoleum at Masjid Negara.
The final respects will be held at the main prayer hall of the National Mosque from 11am to 1pm local time and the burial will take place at the mausoleum.
All buildings within a 2km radius of Masjid Negara must fly the Malaysian flag at half-mast until the completion of the funeral ceremony.
Abdullah, also affectionately known as Pak Lah, died on Monday at the age of 85.
He became Malaysia’s fifth prime minister in 2003, following the resignation of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad after 22 years at the helm.
He died at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur at 7.10pm, his son-in-law and former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced in an Instagram post.
Abdullah was admitted on Sunday morning after experiencing breathing difficulties and was immediately placed under intensive care, the institute said in a statement.
“Despite all medical efforts, he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones,” it added.
Paying tribute to Abdullah, the institute said he was a leader who brought “calm and compassion to public service”.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also hailed Abdullah’s accomplishments.
“Pak Lah taught us the meaning of humanity in leadership,” he said in a Facebook post, adding that the former prime minister was not just a leader, but also a person with a “big heart”.
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday expressed his condolences to the people of Malaysia.
“During his six years as prime minister, Tun Abdullah made significant contributions to Malaysia’s social and economic development,” said Mr Wong, adding that Abdullah was a respected leader who helped ASEAN “stand tall in the world”.
Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also said in a Facebook post late on Monday that he was “deeply saddened” by Abdullah’s death.
Recalling their past working relationship, he added: “Tun Abdullah was a distinguished leader and served in Malaysia’s Cabinet for many years. We worked with him closely over the years.
“During his tenure as PM, we made progress in our bilateral issues, including the development of Iskandar Malaysia in Johor. My thoughts are with his family and the people of Malaysia during this time of grief.”
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