KUALA LUMPUR – Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was laid to rest this afternoon at Makam Pahlawan, next to Masjid Negara, at 2.30pm. His burial took place beside the grave of Malaysia’s third prime minister, Tun Hussein Onn, under the distinctive dome of the national mausoleum.
Abdullah, fondly known as Pak Lah, passed away at the age of 85 at the National Heart Institute (IJN) yesterday due to respiratory complications. Earlier in the day, his body was placed at the main prayer hall of Masjid Negara from 10am to 1pm for members of the public and dignitaries to pay their final respects.
More than 3,000 people attended, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Deputy Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, as well as four former prime ministers – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Seri Najib Razak – who was temporaily granted leave from his 1MDB trial, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Several ministers and politicians were also spotted, including Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, MCA’s Wee Ka Siong and Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, among others.
Other notable attendees include Terengganu’s Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, Singapore’s Senior Minister and former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, actress Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, rock legend Datuk Ramli Sarip, and comedian Harith Iskander.
Khairy Jamaluddin, the late Abdullah’s son-in-law, played a key role in coordinating and receiving guests during the ceremony.
The funeral prayer was performed after the Zuhur prayers, before the procession proceeded to Makam Pahlawan for the burial.
Makam Pahlawan, or Heroes’ Mausoleum, is a symbolically important site in Malaysia, reserved for the country’s most revered leaders. Located adjacent to Masjid Negara, it features a striking concrete dome designed in the shape of an umbrella.
Beneath this dome lie only seven burial plots, making it a space of exclusive national reverence.
Abdullah becomes the fifth national leader to be buried under Makam Pahlawan’s dome. The first was Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s second deputy prime minister, who passed away in 1973 and is remembered as “the man who saved Malaysia” for his role in stabilising the country after the 1969 racial riots.
He was followed by Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, the nation’s second prime minister, known as the Father of Development, who died in 1976. Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia’s third prime minister and a staunch advocate for national unity and integrity, was laid to rest there in 1990.
The fourth was Tun Ghafar Baba, who served as deputy prime minister and was known for his humility and deep connection with the rakyat. He died in 1993.
As Abdullah joins the ranks of Malaysia’s most venerated leaders at the Makam Pahlawan, his contributions to the nation’s development and his legacy of thoughtful leadership continue to be remembered with honour. – April 15, 2025