Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, a Muslim scholar who served as Malaysian premier after long-time leader Mahathir Mohamad stepped down, has died. He was 85.

His passing Monday was confirmed on social media by incumbent Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

A career politician, Abdullah served all four of Malaysia’s post-independence leaders in posts ranging from education minister to foreign minister. Mahathir fired his deputy Anwar in September 1998 following a clash over the imposition of capital controls during the Asian financial crisis and appointed Abdullah to succeed him when he retired in late 2003, after 22 years in the top job.

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Abdullah returned to power with the largest parliamentary majority on record when he sought his own mandate in 2005. While affectionately known as “Pak Lah,” or Uncle Lah, because of his gentle manner, his popularity waned. After five years in charge, his Barisan Nasional coalition won the 2018 vote by the narrowest of margins.

Bad Choice

“I am very bad in choosing people,” Mahathir said in an interview in November, 2010, referring to both Anwar, who had been his long-time heir apparent, and his successor, with whom he had a rocky relationship.

Anwar was arrested in 1999 a few weeks after Mahathir had sacked him and was imprisoned after being convicted on corruption and sodomy charges, which he denied. Anwar finally became prime minister in 2022 after decades of angling for the top job.

As premier, Abdullah partially distanced himself from Mahathir’s rule, promising to fight graft to woo foreign investors and he scaled back some high-cost infrastructure projects, including a $3.8 billion rail development plan, to help narrow the country’s budget shortfall.

Despite implementing a 230 billion ringgit ($52 billion) stimulus plan, Abdullah presided over a slowing economy and rising inflation.

Boosting Competition

Born in Penang state in 1939, Abdullah graduated with a degree in Islamic studies from University of Malaya.

He focused on overhauling the management of government-linked companies in a bid to attract investment, and called for greater consolidation in industries such as banking to help prepare for greater competition as the nation opened up to foreign investment. At the same time, local firms were encouraged to expand abroad.

To revamp state-linked businesses, Abdullah appointed younger professionals to run power producer Tenaga Nasional Bhd. and Telekom Malaysia Bhd., the nation’s largest phone company. He also initiated development of the Iskandar special economic zone bordering Singapore.

“I know I did not do well enough,”Abdullah told reporters in 2008, pledging to take responsibility for his party’s poor election showing. He stepped down 12 months into his second five-year term.

Abdullah was succeeded as premier in April 2009 by Najib Razak, who inherited a country entering recession amid a global economic crisis.

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Abdullah started showing signs of cognitive impairment shortly after retiring as premier, his son-in-law, former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, reportedly said in 2022.

Abdullah is survived by his second wife Jeanne Abdullah and his two children. His first wife Endon Mahmood died of cancer in October 2005.