Affectionately known as Pak Lah, a nickname that made him more approachable and down-to-earth, Abdullah was aided by his image as a “Mr Nice Guy” despite his political seniority.
Born in Bayan Lepas, Penang, on Nov 26, 1939, Abdullah studied at Bukit Mertajam High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in Islamic studies from Universiti Malaya in 1964.
After completing his tertiary studies, Abdullah spent more than a decade as a civil servant before running for election in 1978, when he was elected MP for Kepala Batas, where his father had been active as an Umno divisional leader.
Abdullah went on to represent the constituency for more than three decades.
Soft-spoken yet resolute, Abdullah took office as prime minister in 2003 after Dr Mahathir Mohamad ended his 22-year tenure in the top post, and sparked a marked shift away from some of Mahathir’s policies.
Abdullah introduced the National Integrity Plan in 2004 with the goal of making Malaysia an ethical society.
He also sought to deal with “little Napoleons” in the civil service, took steps to combat corruption, and advocated for the Islam Hadhari principle in government, which encouraged Muslims to be “progressive, modern and moderate”.
Moves for reforms
Under his leadership, newspapers and online media enjoyed greater freedom to report on government policies and social issues, while new independent online media flourished, sometimes taking a critical stance against his government.
This was a welcome change of pace from the Mahathir governments, which had become notorious for control of the media and limits on freedom of expression, particularly after Operasi Lalang in 1987, in which four newspapers were suspended and more than 110 opposition and civil society figures put under political detention.
Prominent economist Edmund Terence Gomez credits Abdullah with transforming government-linked companies (GLCs) in 2004, with a reduction in the number of elected representatives serving as directors of public-listed GLCs.
It was during this period that Idris Jala was appointed as CEO of Malaysia Airlines, going on to earn the reputation of a “turnaround expert”, and Azman Mokhtar was brought in to lead Khazanah Nasional Bhd.
“Abdullah did a lot of good in terms of reforms to get the GLCs to be professionally run,” Gomez has said.
Fighting corruption
Abdullah was also known for his efforts to enhance gender equality, granting women equal property rights and overseeing amendments to the Federal Constitution to bar gender-based discrimination.
Months before he stepped down from the top post, he oversaw the rebranding of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) into the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in January 2009.
The MACC was granted enhanced powers and was set up as an independent commission.
Abdullah also sought to establish an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), though opposition led to the watered-down Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) being introduced instead.
Abdullah’s tenure was also marked by a renewed focus on education, with free textbooks provided to all schoolchildren from 2008 onwards, while he also championed the setting up of five economic corridors, aimed at stimulating development in both the peninsula and East Malaysia.
The Iskandar Malaysia development region, launched under his leadership, was aimed at creating high-value job opportunities while preserving Malaysia’s agricultural base.
Dr M turns against him
Despite these efforts, one of Abdullah’s fiercest detractors was his predecessor, Mahathir, who was openly critical of his handpicked man.
In 2013, Abdullah reportedly said the “core issue” was Mahathir’s inability to accept any vision for the country beyond what he had mapped out before his retirement.
“Mahathir is set in his ways. And he believes that his way is the only way. When I tried to do things differently, he believed that I was doing things wrongly. But that is Mahathir,” he was quoted as saying.
Matters came to a head after the 2008 general elections (GE12) when Barisan Nasional put up its worst electoral performance since 1969, losing its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat for the first time.
Mahathir accused Abdullah of weaknesses and alleged wrongdoings, which he said led to BN losing significant ground to the then Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition.
Under mounting pressure from within his party, Abdullah stepped down as prime minister on April 1, 2009, handing over leadership of the party and government to Najib Razak.
The final years
A deeply religious man, Abdullah sought to improve global perceptions of Islam, advocating for a progressive and tolerant interpretation through Islam Hadhari.
Even after leaving office, he remained committed to fostering a greater understanding of Islam, particularly in the West.
In his later years, Abdullah withdrew from public life, dedicating his time to his family and writing. He was also a poet, and his book of poems, “I Seek Eternal Peace”, was translated into more than 80 languages.
In September 2022, his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin revealed that Abdullah was suffering from dementia and that his condition was deteriorating. He could no longer remember the names of his wife and other family members at that point.
Abdullah died today at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne Abdullah, and two children, Nori and Kamaluddin, from his first wife, Endon Mahmood, who died in 2005. He also had two stepchildren, Nadiah Kimie and Nadene Kimie, from Jeanne’s previous marriage.