New Delhi:
Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim paid tributes to his “true friend” Dr Manmohan Singh, former two-time Prime Minister who died at the age of 92. Calling Dr Singh the “midwife of India’s emergence”, Mr Ibrahim said the praise that is poured upon the former PM is “truly well-deserved”.
“The weight of grief bears down on me at the news of the passing of my honoured and cherished friend: Dr Manmohan Singh. Obituaries, essays and books a plenty there will surely be about this great man, celebrating him as the architect of India’s economic reforms. As Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh was the midwife of India’s emergence as one of the world’s economic giants,” Mr Ibrahim wrote in a post on X.
According to Mr Ibrahim, Dr Singh was “slightly awkward” as a politician but “undeniably upright, steadfast and resolute” as a statesman.
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He also shared Dr Singh’s ‘act of kindness’ towards him during his incarceration years.
“Not many people know this, and it is time that I share it with Malaysians: during the years of my incarceration, he extended a kindness that he didn’t have to – one that was neither politically expedient nor, as one can imagine, appreciated by the Malaysian government at that time. Yet, true to his character, he did it anyway. He offered scholarships for my children, particularly my son, Ihsan. Although I had declined the gracious offer, such a gesture undoubtedly showed his extraordinary humanity and generosity, demonstrative, as the Bard would have it, of a man so full of “the milk of human kindness”,” he said.
“In those dark days, as I navigated the labyrinth of imprisonment, he stood by me as a true friend. Such acts of quiet magnanimity defined him, and they will remain etched in my heart forever. Goodbye, my mitra, my bhai, Manmohan,” the Malaysian PM added.
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The weight of grief bears down on me at the news of the passing of my honoured and cherished friend: Dr Manmohan Singh.
Obituaries, essays and books a plenty there will surely be about this great man, celebrating him as the architect of India’s economic reforms. As Prime… pic.twitter.com/44bA3s7vst
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) December 27, 2024
Manmohan Singh died due to age-related medical complications. He had been in poor health for the last few months. His remains will be brought to his residence in Delhi for the public to offer their condolences. The funeral will be held at 9:30 am on Saturday. The former Prime Minister’s last rites will be conducted with full state honours. A seven-day state mourning will be observed throughout the country as a mark of respect to Dr Singh. During this period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast across India.