Abdullah Ahmad
Encyclopedia
Tan Sri
Abdullah Ahmad (born July 4, 1937) is a Malaysian journalist
and a politician
. At one time, he was the editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times
.
On November 12, 2003, he wrote an article criticizing Saudi Arabia
n policies that aided the United States invasion of Iraq, among other things. As a result, the Saudi government reduced Malaysian quota for haj. On November 21 of the same year, he "was fired without warning by the daily’s management at the request of the ruling UMNO party following a complaint by the Saudi ambassador in Malaysia." UMNO, which is part of the ruling government and holding equity in the papers later stated that he had jeopardized Malaysia's close relationship with Saudi Arabia. He had a contract that was supposed to expire in October 2004.
Previously, he was close to the then Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
.
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Abdullah Ahmad (born July 4, 1937) is a Malaysian journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and a politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. At one time, he was the editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times
New Straits Times
The New Straits Times is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print , having been founded as The Straits Times in 1845, and was reestablished as the "New Straits Times" in 1965. The paper served as Malaysia's only broadsheet format English...
.
On November 12, 2003, he wrote an article criticizing Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n policies that aided the United States invasion of Iraq, among other things. As a result, the Saudi government reduced Malaysian quota for haj. On November 21 of the same year, he "was fired without warning by the daily’s management at the request of the ruling UMNO party following a complaint by the Saudi ambassador in Malaysia." UMNO, which is part of the ruling government and holding equity in the papers later stated that he had jeopardized Malaysia's close relationship with Saudi Arabia. He had a contract that was supposed to expire in October 2004.
Previously, he was close to the then Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998. Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.In 1999, he was sentenced...
.