NAJIB CUTS SHORT VISIT TO INDIA, ARRIVES HOME EARLY SATURDAY

SEPANG (Malaysia), Jan 23 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Razak arrived at
the KL International Airport (KLIA) here early Saturday after cutting short his
visit to India following the demise of the Ruler of southern state of Johor,
Sultan Iskandar ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail, Friday evening.

Najib and wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, and several cabinet ministers
arrived in a special aircraft at the Bunga Raya Complex of the KLIA at 3.30am.

Prayers were held soon after their arrival.

This was followed by the recital of the al-Fatihah for the late Sultan
Iskandar by the Prime Minister and delegation.

Najib, who was on a five-day visit to India, was scheduled to return home
from Chennai International Airport at 5pm (Malaysian time) Saturday.

Sultan Iskandar, 77, died at the Puteri Specialist Hospital in Johor Baharu,
at 7.15pm after ruling Johor for almost three decades.

In KUALA LUMPUR, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, a Johorian himself,
described the demise of Sultan Iskandar as a huge loss for the people of Johor
because the ruler had been concerned about the wellbeing of his subjects.

In PUTRAJAYA, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad described
Sultan Iskandar as a ruler who was close to the people, but said the people were
sometimes "fearful of him because of his peculiar style of doing things".

"But he was a very nice person," he told reporters.

Sultan Iskandar became the eighth Yang di-Pertuan Agong when Dr Mahathir was
into his third year of office as the country's fourth prime minister.

Dr Mahathir said he had known the sultan since 1966, even before he had
become a cabinet minister.

Another former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the sultan's demise
was a major loss not only to Johor but also the country especially when the
ruler was a strong advocate of the Iskandar Malaysia project.

Abdullah said: "When the creation of Iskandar Malaysia was proposed, the
sultan was most excited. In fact the name Iskandar was given to the project in
appreciation of the sultan's keen interest in the development of Johor."
-- BERNAMA


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