“ARCHITECT” OF MALAYSIA’S ECONOMY
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said in a post on X that Daim was “one of the prominent leaders that had made significant contributions to the nation”.
Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Nancy Shukri noted how Daim “played a key role in efforts to stabilise the nation’s economy during the economic crises of the 1980s and 1990s”.
He was also actively involved in various national development initiatives and contributed to education and social welfare through foundations and charitable activities, she added.
United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) politicians who acknowledged Daim’s contributions included Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said.
Mr Ahmad Zahid is president of UMNO, Malaysia’s former ruling party of which Daim was treasurer between 1984 and 2001.
Ms Azalina said Daim was a key figure in UMNO back in the day and “despite his good and bad, he still contributed to the party”.
Daim, along with former ministers Rafidah Aziz and Rais Yatim, were sacked from UMNO briefly in May 2018 for campaigning for the Mahathir-led Pakatan Harapan in the 14th General Election.
Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin told reporters at Daim’s residence: “He was an architect of the country’s economy, so much so that at one time Malaysia was known as an Asian tiger.”
Also present was Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. “Even before his passing, he has been remarkably, remarkably kind, compassionate and helpful in being there, not just for me but for many others, day in and day out, so I am indebted to him,” he said.
Mr Syed Saddiq served as youth and sports minister from 2018 to 2020 under Dr Mahathir. When Dr Mahathir began his second PM stint in May 2018, Daim was appointed chairman of the quasi-official Council of Eminent Persons to reform the country’s policies after decades of Barisan Nasional governance.
Daim’s cause of death has not been revealed but his lawyer Gurdial Singh Nijar said he had been in the intensive care unit of Petaling Jaya’s Assunta Hospital for a few weeks after a stroke.
Funeral prayers were held at the Federal Territory Mosque in Kuala Lumpur and he was laid to rest at Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery.
