SM Lee to attend state funeral of former Malaysian PM Abdullah Badawi PMO

SINGAPORE – Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong will attend the state funeral of former Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Badawi on April 15 in Kuala Lumpur, said the Singapore Prime Minister’s Office.

SM Lee will be accompanied by his wife Ho Ching and officials from Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Tun Abdullah died on April 14, aged 85, having suffered from dementia in the last few years. He died at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur.

Fondly known as “Pak Lah”, he was Malaysia’s fifth prime minister from October 2003 to April 2009, a period that overlapped most with SM Lee’s tenure as Singapore’s prime minister.

SM Lee said on April 15 that he knew Pak Lah before they became prime ministers of Singapore and Malaysia respectively.

“He served his country with great dedication, working tirelessly to tackle Malaysia’s challenges and uplift the lives of Malaysians,” said SM Lee.

“It was a great privilege for me to have known Pak Lah, and shared many warm conversations with him over the years.”

Other Singapore leaders also paid tribute to Mr Abdullah.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Mr Abdullah was a respected leader who helped Asean stand tall in the world. He added that Singapore was fortunate to count Mr Abdullah as a friend, and under his leadership of Malaysia, both countries deepened cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

PM Wong cited the example of the development of Iskandar Malaysia, a special economic zone in Johor established in 2006, as one of the areas that contributed to laying the strong foundation for both countries’ excellent ties today.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said on April 14 that Mr Abdullah was a distinguished leader and served in Malaysia’s Cabinet for many years, while also working closely with Singapore.

Before taking Malaysia’s premiership,