TUN ABDULLAH: THE COLLEGIAL LEADER IN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY

By Voon Miaw Ping

KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 (Bernama) -- The late Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is remembered not just as a statesman who put human capital development as the cornerstone of nation-building but also for his enduring legacy in strengthening Malaysia’s foreign policy and diplomacy.

As Malaysia’s fifth Prime Minister, Abdullah played a pivotal role in elevating the country’s stature in regional and international affairs.

Adjunct Professor of Regional and Global Affairs at Universiti Malaya, Datuk Ilango Karuppannan, described Abdullah’s leadership as calm, thoughtful diplomacy and strategically insightful.

One of Abdullah’s landmark achievements was during Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2005, when the country led efforts to establish the ASEAN Charter — a legally binding document that aims to strengthen ASEAN's community-building process and enhance its role in the region.

The Charter came into force on Dec 15, 2008.

Ilango, who was a senior official at the Foreign Ministry during that time, said Abdullah’s leadership also enabled Malaysia to host the first-ever East Asia Summit — a historic gathering that brought together three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — China, Russia, and the United States — marking a major breakthrough in regional diplomacy.

He said Abdullah’s leadership in international relations was exemplary.

Ilango, who was a career diplomat and served as High Commissioner to Singapore and Ambassador to Lebanon, said notably that Abdullah had steered Malaysian foreign policy from a confrontational and megaphone diplomacy to a more practical one.

“This helped improve relations with Singapore, the US, and Australia,” he told Bernama.

Abdullah's tenure as foreign minister from 1991 to 1999, a period marked by major world events that permanently altered the course of the global geopolitical landscape.

Significantly were the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Gulf War, the Bosnian War and the rise of China as an economic powerhouse, among others. 

The period also witnessed the shift in Malaysia’s foreign policy to championing south-south cooperation, forging closer cooperation with developing nations, as well as with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Group 77 of developing countries (G77). 

“His leadership as FM was exemplary. Malaysia was seen as an important actor partly due to his measured, thoughtful and reasoned ways.

“And personally, I think he was a model diplomat. I grew up under his leadership as FM (foreign minister) and later as prime minister. For me, he is one of Malaysia's greatest leaders,” Ilango said.

A former high-flying career diplomat and former executive chairman of the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR), Tan Sri Hasmy Agam, has described Abdullah as the perfect gentleman and a collegial leader whose calm demeanour belied a diplomatic finesse that won Malaysia many friends abroad.

Hasmy, who held multiple roles in the Foreign Ministry, recalled many memories of Abdullah that revealed the late leader’s distinguished character.

“He was not just a boss. He was a good colleague and friend,”  the retired diplomat said. 

Recounting a heartfelt encounter with the late Abdullah when he served as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations in New York, Hasmy said the former premier had gifted him a neck pillow while they were on the way travelling to the JFK Airport after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York one year.

“I was surprised by the gesture. Later, I learnt that Tun had found out from his wife (late Tun Endon Mahmood), who was told that I was having some neck and back pain at that time.

“He was that thoughtful and concerned about the welfare of his officers. Always compassionate and pleasant,” he recounted the episode to Bernama when contacted.

Hasmy said their relationship dates back to the days when Abdullah was still in the civil service. 

“That time, he was already a high-ranking official, and I was a junior. We continued to maintain the friendship even after he entered politics and became the leader of the country. 

“He was never autocratic. Perhaps because he was a former civil servant, he understood the system well and worked in a collegial way.

“It was a profound honour to have served under him,” Hasmy said.

He expressed his sadness and condolences to Abdullah’s family on his passing.

Abdullah, affectionately known as Pak Lah, passed away in Kuala Lumpur on Monday at the age of 85.

He was laid to rest with full state honours at the Heroes’ Mausoleum near Masjid Negara (National Mosque) on Tuesday.

-- BERNAMA