Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was Malaysia’s 5^th prime minister and he was strongly supported by i Capital. He led the country from 2003 to 2009 with far-sighted socio-economic policies, so far sighted that his predecessor could not comprehend. Unlike the high-pressured and dictatorial rule of his predecessor, he tolerated differences in opinions and opened up space for criticism of the government. He established the Judicial Selection Committee to promote judicial independence and ordered the government to compensate the six former judges dismissed by his predecessor, which was equivalent to clearing their names. He set up the Anti-Corruption Commission to deal with the country’s serious problems of corruption and abuse of power. He promoted civilised Islam (Islam Hadhari) to fight conservative and extreme religious ideas. He was a prime minister with the nation’s sole interests at heart, bravely and wisely abolishing many non-sensical projects by his arrogant predecessor. Even after being forced to step down, he left office with grace and did not interfere with his successor’s administration. Thank you and rest in peace, Pak Lah !

i Capital will pause its publication for one issue in the week beginning 28 Apr. However, www.icapital.biz will be updated as usual. Our Kuala Lumpur office will be closed on 1 May. Normal operating hours will resume on 2 May. The next issue, Volume 36, number 34 of i Capital, will be dated 8 - 14 May 2025.