Former Malaysian leader Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who extended political freedoms, dies at 85

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, a moderate who extended the country’s political freedoms but was criticized for lackluster leadership, has died of heart disease. He was 85.

Affectionately known as “Pak Lah,” or uncle Lah, Abdullah was admitted to Kuala Lumpur’s State Institute of Heart on Sunday after experiencing breathing difficulties. He was closely monitored by a cardiac specialists team, but passed away on Monday at 7:10 p.m. despite all medical efforts, the hospital said in a statement.

Abdullah was first admitted to the hospital in April 2024, after being diagnosed with spontaneous pneumothorax, a collapsed lung that occurs without any apparent cause. In 2022, his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, disclosed that Abdullah had dementia that was progressively worsening. He said Abdullah had trouble speaking and could not recognize his family.

Abdullah, Malaysia’s fifth leader, served from 2003 to 2009, when he was pressured to resign to take responsibility for the governing coalition’s dismal results in national elections. He kept a low profile after leaving politics.

Abdullah took office in October 2003, riding a wave of popularity after replacing Mahathir Mohamad, a domineering, sharp-tongued leader known for his semi-authoritarian rule during 22 years in office.

A seasoned politician who held many Cabinet positions, Abdullah was handpicked by Mahathir, who believed a soft-spoken, unambitious leader would maintain his policies.

Initially, Abdullah won support with promises of institutional reforms and his brand of moderate Islam. He pledged greater political freedoms with more space for critics, and vowed to end corruption after a government minister was hauled to court on graft allegations.

“During his rule, the country transitioned from a very authoritarian rule under Mahathir to a more multifaceted regime. It provided some breathing space for many Malaysians after more than two decades of very suffocating rule,” said Oh Ei Sun from Singapore’s Institute of International Affairs.

Months after taking office, Abdullah led his National Front governing coalition to a landslide victory in a 2004 general election seen as a stamp of approval of his leadership. That helped him partially step out of Mahathir’s shadow, but the euphoria didn’t last.

In the following years, Abdullah faced criticism inside and outside his party for generally lackluster and ineffectual leadership. He didn’t follow through on promises to eradicate corruption, reform the judiciary and strengthen institutions such as the police and the civil service.

Critics slammed Abdullah for concurrently taking on the finance minister and internal security minister posts. He was often criticized for dozing off during meetings or at public events, which he blamed on a sleep disorder. Khairy, his son-in-law, led a team of advisers in the Prime Minister’s Office whom critics said influenced Abdullah’s decisions and controlled access to him.

Abdullah also fell out with Mahathir after he axed some of the former leader’s projects, including a proposed bridge to Singapore. Mahathir turned into one of his fiercest critics and accused Abdullah of nepotism and inefficiency..

While Abdullah was viewed as a weak leader, he ushered in limited freedom of speech and allowing a more critical media. Conservatives in his party said that was his undoing as it bolstered a newly resurgent opposition led by reformist Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar, Malaysia’s current leader, became prime minister after 2022 elections.

In late 2007, Abdullah faced a series of massive street protests on issues including fuel hikes, demands for electoral reforms and fairer treatment for ethnic minorities. The protests shook his administration. Police cracked down on the rallies and Abdullah warned he would sacrifice public freedoms for stability.

In the March 2008 general election, his National Front suffered one of its worst results in a huge blow to Abdullah. It failed to secure a two-thirds legislative majority for the first time in 40 years, yielding 82 seats to the opposition in the 222-member Parliament. It also lost an unprecedented five states.

Abdullah initially refused to step down, but pressure grew. Mahathir quit the United Malays National Organization, the linchpin of the governing coalition, to protest Abdullah’s leadership. Dissidents within UMNO openly called on him to resign to take responsibility for the dismal election performance.

Abdullah caved in and handed over power to his deputy, Najib Razak, in April 2009.

Born in the northern state of Penang on Nov. 26, 1939, Abdullah came from a religious family. His grandfather was the first mufti, or Islamic jurist, of Penang. Abdullah received a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Malaya.

After graduating, he entered the civil service for 14 years before resigning in 1978 to become a member of parliament. During a bitter dispute within UMNO in the 1980s, Abdullah sided with a group that opposed Mahathir. After Mahathir prevailed, Abdullah was sacked as defense minister but was later brought back into the Cabinet as foreign minister in 1991.

In January 1999, Abdullah was appointed deputy prime minister and home affairs minister before succeeding Mahathir as prime minister in 2003.

Abdullah’s first wife, Endon Mahmood, died in 2005 after a battle with breast cancer. They have two children and seven grandchildren. He remarried two years later to Jeanne Abdullah, who was earlier married to the brother of Abdullah’s first wife. She has two children from her previous marriage.

FILE - Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, right, delivers his keynote address United Malays National Organization (UMNO) annual general assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, March 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

FILE - Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, right, inspects the members of youth wing of United Malays National Organization during the UMNO general meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2004. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

FILE - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, left, gestures as his wife Endon Mahmood looks on after casting their votes during the general election at a polling center in Kepala Batas, northern Malaysia, March 21, 2004. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

FILE - Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, left, sits next to Malaysia's Prime Minister Adbullah Ahmad Badawi during the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the ASEAN+3 Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Dec. 12, 2005. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

FILE - Malaysian outgoing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, also Defence Minister, center, looks on during a farewell ceremony organised by the Defence Ministry in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, April 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin, File)

FILE - President George W. Bush, right, greets Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, July 19, 2004, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

FILE - Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, center, raises hands with then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, right, and then Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak at the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) general assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin, File)

FILE - Malaysia's former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, left, waves as new Prime Minister Najib Razak smile behind at Prime Minister office in Putrajaya, April 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

FILE - Malaysian former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, center, waves as he leaves prime minister's office in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, April 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin, File)

FILE - Malaysian outgoing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, also Defense Minister, waves during a farewell ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, April 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)