Goodbye, my bhai: Malaysian PM recalls how Manmohan Singh offered scholarships for his children
Singapore, Dec 27: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wrote a moving tribute to Manmohan Singh Friday, recalling how the Indian leader offered scholarships for his children while he was in prison.
On X, he described the former prime minister, who died Thursday, as “the midwife of India’s emergence as one of the world’s economic giants".
And also as “my mitra, my bhai, Manmohan".
Though Anwar declined the offer, he was clearly moved by the gesture. The Malaysian leader was in jail from 1999 to 2004, when his sentence was overturned. During this period, Singh was Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
“Dr Manmohan Singh, slightly awkward as a politician but undeniably upright, steadfast and resolute as a statesman, leaves behind a legacy that will inspire generations to come," he posted.
"To me, he will be all that and much more. 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... 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,” the Malaysian PM posted.
"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," he wrote.
Anwar began by describing his overwhelming grief over the death. "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," he said.
The weight of grief bears down on me at the news of the passing of my honoured and cherished friend: Dr Manmohan Singh.
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) December 27, 2024
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
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Mauritius announces flying flag half-mast as mark of respect to Manmohan Singh
New Delhi (PTI): Mauritius has announced that its national flag will fly at half-mast at all government offices and institutions till sunset on Saturday as a mark of respect to India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh.
In a note, Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam's office also urged the private sector to fly the flags at half-mast.
Mauritius Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful travelled to Delhi and paid respects to the former prime minister.
"Following the passing away of Dr Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of the Republic of India, the public is hereby informed that the Mauritius Flag will be flown at half-mast on all government buildings until sunset today Saturday, the day of his funeral," the Mauritius prime minister's office said.
"An appeal is also made to the private sector for all flags to be flown at half-mast," it said in the note.
Singh, who served as the prime minister from 2004 to 2014 and widely known as the architect of India's economic reforms, died on Thursday night. He was 92.
India's relations with several key countries, including Mauritius, saw significant upswing during Singh's prime ministership.
Singh's last rites were held with full state honours on Saturday at the Nigambodh Ghat cremation ground in Delhi.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck were among those who attended Singh's funeral.
