KUALA LUMPUR (April 14): Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi passed away on Monday evening, aged 85.

The former prime minister, fondly known as Pak Lah to Malaysians, passed away at 7.10pm at the National Heart Institute (IJN) here, according to his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, who shared the news via a brief Instagram Story post.

“May Allah bless his soul and place him among the righteous. Al-Fatihah,” Khairy wrote in his post.

Pak Lah's remains will be brought to the main prayer hall of Masjid Negara on Tuesday morning for lying-in-state from 11am until 1pm, and after Zohor prayers the statesman will be laid to rest at the National Heroes' Mausoleum in Masjid Negara.

Meanwhile, the IJN, in a statement quoted by Bernama, said Pak Lah was admitted on Sunday morning after experiencing breathing difficulties.

It said Pak Lah was immediately placed under intensive care at the coronary care unit, where he was closely monitored by its dedicated team of cardiac specialists. But despite all medical efforts, he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.

According to IJN chief executive officer Prof Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Ezani Md Taib, the entire IJN family is united in grief as they mourn the loss of Pak Lah.

“Caring for him in his final hours was both a privilege and an honour. His humility and grace touched many of our staff, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.”

According to Bernama, Pak Lah’s attending consultant cardiologist and head of IJN Cardiology Department Datuk Dr Azmee Ghazi said the former prime minister carried himself with quiet strength and dignity.

“Even in his final moments, he remained calm and kind. It was truly an honour for our team to be by his side,” he said.

Born in Bayan Lepas, Penang, in 1939, Pak Lah, a civil servant-turned-politician, served as Malaysia’s fifth prime minister from 2003 to 2009. He was the sixth president of Umno.

Among a rolodex of deputy prime ministers, Pak Lah succeeded Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when the fourth PM stepped down after nearly 23 years in office. In contrast to Mahathir’s assertive and often combative personality, Pak Lah’s soft-spoken and amiable manner guided the then-governing Barisan Nasional coalition to a landslide victory in the 2004 polls.

But that happy mandate did not last, and four short years later, Pak Lah led the BN coalition into losing its two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time since 1969 — and even worse, caused the ruling coalition to lose five states to the opposition, while just about staying in power. Pak Lah stepped down in 2009 and he was succeeded by his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The 2008 political tsunami snowballed in 2013 and caused BN to lose its popular vote to the opposition for the first time, even as it managed to retain federal power.

Unlike Malaysia’s other prime ministers, Pak Lah's campaign promises did not surround easily measurable metrics.

While some saw him as a soft leader, his administration was relatively stable, not least due to its consultative style.

He promoted a progressive form of Islam, referred to as Islam Hadhari, which focused on knowledge and economic development with emphasis on moderation and tolerance.

He came into power on the promise of reforms in governance, anti-corruption and transparency.

In some ways, while prior prime ministers aimed to build infrastructure, the country’s body, Pak Lah tried to build the nation’s soul — ethics and integrity.

While Pak Lah’s term faced criticism for a perceived slow progress on reforms, the former prime minister’s policies are still very much felt today.

These policies, while some more effective than others, all carried a similar spirit — democracy and the checks and balances that protect it.

To reduce bureaucracy in business-government dealings, he set up the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (Pemudah), which the current unity government reactivated back in 2023.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, now synonymous with Malaysia’s fight against corruption, was also set up during Pak Lah’s term and replaced the Home Ministry’s National Bureau of Investigations.

Under his vision to cultivate an ethical society and promote integrity among Malaysians, he implemented the National Integrity Plan and set up the Integrity Institute of Malaysia.

He also set the wheels rolling in reforming the judiciary, firstly by establishing the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam video clip, and then following this up with the enactment of the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2009.

It was also during Pak Lah’s administration that the government openly expressed regret (but stopped short of a formal apology) for the 1988 Judicial Crisis, and gave ex-gratia payments to the judges who had been sacked or suspended during that constitutional crisis.

Amid the strengthening of such democratic processes, Malaysian society in general enjoyed an almost unfettered freedom of expression. Coming after more than two decades of Mahathir’s “guided democracy”, the online media, especially, flourished, with more news organisations being established to provide a myriad of perspectives to readers. Sadly, despite the shift in perception, there were in fact no legislative changes, as existing restrictive laws remained in place, such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act, and there were still concerns about self-censorship within the mainstream media, as well as the government's continued influence over media outlets.

After leaving office, Pak Lah did not interfere with the new administration or the policies of both the ruling government and the opposition.

Humble and soft-spoken, he will be remembered by many as a gentleman politician.