KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, fondly known as Pak Lah, was a man with a demure personality, but he had a big heart for doing what was best, equitable and right for Malaysia and its people.
He stepped into big shoes as Malaysia’s fifth prime minister in 2003 but delivered a fresh approach to value-add and further developed the economy via new policies and programmes.
Pak Lah passed away at the National Heart Institute (IJN) at 7:10 PM today.
The news was confirmed by his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, through a post on Instagram.
A novel hallmark of his strategy was advocating the opening of five economic corridors to foster a balanced regional economic development and boost the nascent halal industry.
Pak Lah’s clarion call for all to “work with me, not for me” garnered loyal support from civil servants then.
This helped the Penang politician to establish his identity, which was far different from that of his predecessor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
His penchant for developing Malaysia’s agriculture sector at a time when the emphasis was on industrial manufacturing proved insightful in ensuring agro products and food self-sufficiency.
Today, the staggering food import bill, rice shortages, and lack of self-sufficiency in agriculture are a clear testament that Pak Lah had foreseen Malaysia’s predicament if it ignored or only paid lip service to developing the sector.
He was also conferred the Father of Malaysia’s Human Capital Development Special Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts to galvanise human resource development as prime minister and education minister.
Economic corridors – Balanced development and prosperity for the whole nation
Pak Lah mooted the creation of multiple economic corridors to leverage the unique strengths and resources of different regions within the country.
These economic corridors were aimed at developing economically lagging regions for the rakyat, especially those living in the rural heartland areas. This aligned with his vision for a balanced and inclusive development for all.
In 2006, Iskandar Malaysia in Johor became the first economic corridor to be launched, followed by the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), East Coast Economic Region, Sabah Development Corridor, and Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy.
Each economic corridor was dedicated to different economic activities. For example, the NCER, which stretches from Perlis to Penang, Kedah and Perak, championed agriculture and commodities.
Meanwhile, Iskandar Malaysia in Johor focused mainly on manufacturing and industrial activities and, over the years, has sparked new interest as a hub for data centres in the region.
Pak Lah’s passion for developing agriculture did not involve traditional farming, such as water buffaloes ploughing paddy fields, but incorporated and integrated advanced technologies and skilled professionals to revolutionise the sector alongside other industries.
His vision extended beyond traditional farming methods, envisioning a future where agriculture thrives through scientific innovation and market diversification.
Pak Lah’s desire to rejuvenate these economic corridors as an engine of growth saw fruition after all, particularly in the past five years, with Iskandar Malaysia leading the pack and becoming the biggest contributor of all.
To support this vision, he pushed for greater flexibility and less bureaucracy in government-to-business dealings to create a more investment-friendly environment, as evidenced by the setting up of the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (PEMUDAH) in 2007.
The progress and diversification of the economic corridors and other initiatives reflected his vision, which thrives to this day, with most corridors continuing to be among the main drivers of Malaysia’s economic growth.
Halal industry promoter
Another sector close to Pak Lah’s heart was the halal industry, as he banked on Malaysia’s present strength, especially in halal certification, setting a platform for the country to become a frontrunner in the global landscape.
The establishment of the Halal Development Corporation, which he announced during the World Halal Forum in 2006, spearheaded the development of Malaysia’s integrated and comprehensive halal ecosystem and infrastructure.
Pak Lah said the rising business awareness among Muslims globally pushed the demand for halal-certified products to new highs.
Malaysia’s halal branding and certification processes, which were well-established and highly regarded in the global marketplace, were crucial ingredients for the sector’s growth.
Pak Lah’s passion for boosting the halal industry continued even after leaving office.
In 2013, he revealed plans to raise a US$500 million private equity fund over three years to focus on global opportunities in the halal industry.
At that time, he was the advisory board chairman of Azka Capital, a private equity advisory firm that focused on halal industry initiatives.
Undeniably, the timing was ripe to create opportunities to enable greater participation in the halal sector, with Malaysia as a prominent global player.
Legacy of driving human capital development
Specific sectors and industries aside, deep down, Pak Lah knew that one recipe for growing the nation was through human capital development, especially among the youth.
Famously known as “The Father of Human Capital Development”, he vigorously championed human capital development as being of critical importance in various speeches throughout his time in office.
“We have seen many real cases where individuals with an imbalanced human development have caused many problems either to organisations or the nation.
“In the context of the development of a nation, a proper and systematic process of inculcation of moderation in every member of the nation at every level is very crucial. This is where human capital development becomes the key factor to the inculcation of moderation,” he said in one of his speeches in 2012.
Pak Lah implemented development strategies based on the leadership principles of the concept of Islam Hadhari or Civilisational Islam.
He said Islam Hadhari could assist human capital development and, in the process, raise the nation’s prestige by strengthening personal values, empowering physical, mental and spiritual balance, and producing a generation with a first-class mentality.
Taking care of the well-being of more than a million civil servants and pensioners, Pak Lah brought good news to public servants three years after taking over the premiership by declaring a substantial salary increase for them, ranging from 7.5 per cent to 35 per cent.
Additionally, the cost of living allowance (Cola) for civil servants also surged by 100 per cent, while police officers and members of the armed forces received an additional 20 per cent on top of the wage increase that was previously announced.
The salary increase benefitted over a million civil servants in the country, including military and police personnel.
In 2008, Pak Lah also allowed some 40,000 civil servants who had opted for the Employees Provident Fund to revert to the pension scheme.
It was also the first time that age-old pensions were revised in line with the higher cost of living, much to the delight of those who served the government loyally throughout the years and their spouses and families.
Pak Lah clocked out of his office some 15 years ago (in 2009), with hundreds of staff members lining the red carpet that stretched from the lobby to his official car.
Today, Malaysians lined up to mourn the loss of Malaysia’s fifth prime minister, who was soft-spoken and easy to get along with but, more importantly, a true leader.
He will be remembered as a prime minister and leader with a quiet, modest, very approachable and down-to-earth personality.
In his own quiet way, he made a difference by bettering the lives and welfare of all Malaysians.
He is gone but will not be forgotten, and Malaysians will miss him.
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