PAK LAH'S UNWAVERING COMMITMENT FOR MEDIA FREEDOM DEFINES LEADERSHIP QUALITIES - YONG

KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 (Bernama) -- Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's unwavering commitment to media freedom and institutional reform stood among his most defining leadership qualities, according to Datuk Yong Soo Heong, former General Manager of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama).

Yong, who is also President of the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI), said during his tenure, Tun Abdullah had advocated for transparency and accountability especially in enhancing the role of the media and reforming key enforcement bodies.

“There were many concerns raised regarding media freedom, and he also proposed reforms for several agencies, including the anti-corruption agency and the police. 

bootstrap slideshow

“He advocated for greater transparency, so that investigations could be carried out more thoroughly and justice could be fairly served. However, there was significant pushback from certain quarters that were not in favour of such openness,” Yong said during the Siaran Khas Belasungkawa: Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, at Bernama TV.

Tun Abdullah, 85, passed away at 7.10 last night at the National Heart Institute (IJN).

Tun Abdullah was laid to rest with full state funeral honours at the Heroes’ Mausoleum near Masjid Negara (National Mosque) at 2.30 pm today.

Yong noted that Tun Abdullah’s governance was marked by integrity and a forward-thinking approach to national development and always put efforts to cultivate national character as well as self-improvement through inclusive values.

“He also promoted a sense of inner freedom, which was the essence behind the concept of Islam Hadhari, his idea of a balanced approach to being a good Muslim or even a good non-Muslim. That was the kind of Malaysia he envisioned,” said Yong.

Reflecting on the former leader’s vision for economic development, Yong said Tun Abdullah had instituted bold initiatives such as the establishment of special economic corridors.

“For instance, the West Corridor, which includes major routes such as the West Coast Expressway, was part of his strategic efforts to stimulate economic growth particularly to benefit communities in the eastern regions of Peninsular Malaysia. 

On a personal note, Yong shared his gratitude to Tun Abdullah for backing his appointment as editor-in-chief of Bernama.

“Sometimes he would call and say that there is something that we would like you to do because we think that the treatment of the story is not good and Bernama being the national news agency would be a very good conduit for us to inform the rest of the media.

“So he knew where to press the button as far as getting the message across,” he said.

-- BERNAMA