Chunara said temperatures used to be predictable.

While Abdullah was viewed as a weak leader, he ushered in limited freedom of speech and allowing a more critical media. Conservatives in his party said that was his undoing as it bolstered a newly resurgent opposition led by reformist Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar, Malaysia’s current leader, became prime minister after 2022 elections.In late 2007, Abdullah faced a series of massive street protests on issues including fuel hikes, demands for electoral reforms and fairer treatment for ethnic minorities. The protests shook his administration. Police cracked down on the rallies and Abdullah warned he would sacrifice public freedoms for stability.

In the March 2008 general election, his National Front suffered one of its worst results in a huge blow to Abdullah. It failed to secure a two-thirds legislative majority for the first time in 40 years, yielding 82 seats to the opposition in the 222-member Parliament. It also lost an unprecedented five states.Abdullah initially refused to step down, but pressure grew. Mahathir quit the United Malays National Organization, the linchpin of the governing coalition, to protest Abdullah’s leadership. Dissidents within UMNO openly called on him to resign to take responsibility for the dismal election performance.Abdullah caved in and handed over power to his deputy, Najib Razak, in April 2009.

Born in the northern state of Penang on Nov. 26, 1939, Abdullah came from a religious family. His grandfather was the first mufti, or Islamic jurist, of Penang. Abdullah received a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Malaya.After graduating, he entered the civil service for 14 years before resigning in 1978 to become a member of parliament. During a bitter dispute within UMNO in the 1980s, Abdullah sided with a group that opposed Mahathir. After Mahathir prevailed, Abdullah was sacked as defense minister but was later brought back into the Cabinet as foreign minister in 1991.

In January 1999, Abdullah was appointed deputy prime minister and home affairs minister before succeeding Mahathir as prime minister in 2003.

Abdullah’s first wife, Endon Mahmood, died in 2005 after a battle with breast cancer. They have two children and seven grandchildren. He remarried two years later to Jeanne Abdullah, who was earlier married to the brother of Abdullah’s first wife. She has two children from her previous marriage.Ruggerio also successfully sponsored bills to address the opioid epidemic.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said Ruggerio “championed efforts to improve public health and increase access to lifesaving cancer screening tests.” It inducted him into its Rhode Island Cancer Caucus in 2022.Kathleen Layton, a volunteer with the Rhode Island chapter of Moms Demand Action, said Ruggerio also would be remembered for his support for gun safety measures, including strong storage requirements and prohibitions on high capacity magazines and banning guns from schools.

“We mourn alongside the rest of Rhode Island to have lost a great leader, and we are thinking of his family during this difficult time,” she said.Ruggerio, who was anti-abortion, did not support legislation to preserve federal abortion protections in state law. But he said he was determined not to impose his personal views on other Senate members. Lawmakers passed the bill.