Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will remarry this week, about two years after his wife of 40 years died of cancer, his office said yesterday in a statement likely to pleasantly surprise most Malaysians.
The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on its Web site that Abdullah will marry Jeanne Abdullah on Saturday. Only close relatives will attend.
The statement gave no details, but it is believed that Jeanne, a distant relative, has been taking care of the prime minister and his house since his wife, Endon Mahmood, died on Oct. 20, 2005.
Although stunning, the news of his remarriage does not come as a total shock, since Malaysian news Web sites and blogs had swirled with rumors early this year that Abdullah, 67, was contemplating wedlock.
"I am really surprised. I thought he loved his [late] wife, but if it makes him happy then so be it," said Andrew Ma, 39, a financial controller.
"Well that's good, that's great ... He needs someone to be with him to represent the country as a first lady. I think it's timely. It's the perfect time," said Noh Yusof, 27, a former lawyer.
Abdullah, who has two adult children, had scotched rumors of a marriage, smilingly dismissing questions by reporters in March about his marriage.
"They are all rumors, just rumors," he had said.
Still, Abdullah had also spoken about being lonely in the palatial prime minister's official residence since the death of Endon after a four-year battle with breast cancer.
The statement on the Prime Minister's Office Web site said Jeanne Abdullah, who will turn 54 on July 29, is the eldest of four siblings. Jeanne is the ex-wife of Endon's brother.
The statement said Jeanne has "wide experience in the administration and hotel sector after being involved in managing several famous hotels in Malaysia, including Hotel Hilton Kuala Lumpur and Hotel Pan Pacific."
"She has also worked before as ... manager of the Seri Perdana Complex [the prime minister's official residence]," the statement said.
It said Jeanne has two daughters, Nadiah and Nadene, from the previous marriage.
The wedding will be held at the prime minister's official residence and will be attended by close family members only, it said.
Abdullah, well-liked by Malaysians for his soft-spoken and avuncular personality, had captured the hearts of many when he broke down in tears in public during Endon's funeral. The couple had not been shy to demonstrate their love for each other in public, often hugging and kissing each other's cheeks.
Abdullah's decision to remarry may have surprised many people, but it is not likely to reduce his popularity.
"He loved his wife, but life must go on. Let the man marry," said Raja Kamariah, 59, a nurse. "Who will look after him at this age if he is sick?"
"He needs a companion. It's not lust, it's somebody to talk to when you go to bed," she said. "Let it be. I think it's the best thing for him. It's good for him. He needs somebody. He is lonely."
Abdullah married Endon on Sept. 4, 1965. They have four grandchildren from a son, who is a successful businessman.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
RIVER TRAGEDY: Local fishers and residents helped rescue people after the vessel capsized, while motorbike taxis evacuated some of the injured At least 58 people going to a funeral died after their overloaded river boat capsized in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) capital, Bangui, the head of civil protection said on Saturday. “We were able to extract 58 lifeless bodies,” Thomas Djimasse told Radio Guira. “We don’t know the total number of people who are underwater. According to witnesses and videos on social media, the wooden boat was carrying more than 300 people — some standing and others perched on wooden structures — when it sank on the Mpoko River on Friday. The vessel was heading to the funeral of a village chief in