Abdullah Ahmad

Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad (4 July 1937 – 12 June 2016) was a Malaysian journalist and politician. At one time, he was the editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times. On 12 November 2003, he wrote an article criticising Saudi Arabian policies that aided the United States invasion of Iraq, among other things. As a result, the Saudi government reduced Malaysian quota for haj. On 21 November 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 jeopardised 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. Ahmad died on 12 June 2016, after battling cancer. He was 79. His body was brought back to his hometown in Kok Lanas, Kelantan.