FORMER SABAH YANG DIPERTUA NEGERI TUN AHMADSHAH DIES

KOTA KINABALU, May 20 (Bernama) -- The Ninth Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sabah, Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah, died at a private hospital here at 8.45 pm tonight. He was 78.

Sabah State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong confirmed the news of his passing in a statement issued here tonight.

“The state government has declared a one-day official mourning period (tomorrow), during which the Sabah state flag will be flown at half-mast,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmadshah’s grandson Arfanshah Abdul Gafar called on the public to offer prayers and recite Surah Al-Fatihah for his late grandfather.

“Please recite Al-Fatihah for my grandfather, Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Ahmadshah bin Abdullah, who passed away a short while ago at KPJ Hospital Kota Kinabalu. May he be placed among the faithful. Aamiin Ya Mujib,” he said in a Facebook post.

Ahmadshah was sworn in as Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sabah on Jan 1, 2003, for a four-year term and was reappointed for a second term from Jan 1, 2007, to Dec 31, 2010.

He was married to Toh Puan Dayang Masuyah Awang Japardan, who passed away in 2020, and they were blessed with four children.

Born in Kampung Inanam here on Dec 9, 1946, Ahmadshah, held a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Indiana State University, United States, and last served as deputy secretary to the Sabah State Government before retiring on Dec 9, 2002.

He also held several key positions in the state administration, including Director of the Sabah Public Services Department, Head of the Home Affairs and Research Division in the Chief Minister’s Department, and Secretary of the Sabah Islamic Religious Council.

--BERNAMA