Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi[1] (born November 26, 1939 in Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang) is the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia. He is also the President of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest political party in Malaysia, and leads the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition. He is informally known as Pak Lah, 'Pak' meaning uncle while 'Lah' is taken from his name Abdullah. He succeeded Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad.