Tun Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi is a Malaysian retired politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2003 to 2009. He was also the sixth president of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest political party in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentary coalition. He is informally known as Pak Lah, Pak meaning 'Uncle' or 'Sir', while Lah is taken from his name 'Abdullah'. He was also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kepala Batas for eight consecutive terms, from 1978 to 2013. During the later part of Abdullah's administration, his government faced criticism for economic policies and performance, including concerns about inflation and the rising cost of living.
Abdullah in 2009
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 16 October 2003.
U.S. president George W. Bush meets with Abdullah during Bush's visit to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly, on 18 September 2006.
Badawi with his wife, Jeanne Abdullah
Prime Minister of Malaysia
The prime minister of Malaysia is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the federal government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister as a member of Parliament (MP) who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party winning the most seats in a general election.
Prime Minister of Malaysia
The prime minister's office at Perdana Putra, Putrajaya
Image: Aankomst Prins Abdoel Rahman op Ypenburg, Bestanddeelnr 911 8186 (cropped 3to 4)
Image: Tun Abdul Razak Universiti (4to 3)
