Malaysia's fifth prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, affectionately known as Pak Lah, in a file photo taken in October 2014. — ONG SOON HIN/The Star
On April 14, 2025, Malaysia grieved the passing of not just a former prime minister, but a statesman of rare grace – Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
While many will remember him for his leadership, humility, and unwavering belief in moderation and good governance, my memory of him goes beyond the public figure: the kind, fatherly figure who spoke to a 17-year-old girl from a boarding school in Penang with warmth, sincerity, and quiet encouragement that would stay with her for the rest of her life.
