Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is a former Prime Minister of Malaysia; he served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2009. Selected as the Deputy Prime Minister in 1999 following the dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim, Abdullah succeeded Mahathir Mohamad as Prime Minister in 2003. He was also the President of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest political party in Malaysia. Born into a prominent religious family with political inclinations, he served on the National Operation Council, which exercised executive power during a nationwide state of emergency in 1969-70. He eventually moved to the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports before becoming a member of parliament for his constituency of Kepala Batas in 1978. He held several prominent positions under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, including that of minister of foreign affairs. Abdullah became the Prime Minister in 2003 and proved to be quite popular in this position. Fondly known as Pak Lah, or Uncle Abdullah he received much love and respect from his citizens for his efforts to bring about positive reforms to the nation. Upon leaving the office in 2009, he was conferred the title 'Tun' by King Mizan Zainal Abidin for his service to the nation.