PM's Wife Loses to Big C

The wife of Malaysia's fifth and current Prime Minister, Datin Seri Endon Mahmood passed away this morning, succumbing to breast cancer. Read more about it here.

I have never met her or seen her in person - there was one function I attended that she was supposed to officiate but couldn't make it due to some health problems. Could this have been the reason for her absence then? But I do share her passion for the traditional fabrics and fashion she had championed, despite my husband's annoyance that the kebaya nyonya is so Unislamic because it is 'jarang' and 'ketat'. Hey, he wasn't complaining when I wore it once before we got married. But I digress.

I understand how this would greatly affect Pak Lah. They have always appeared as such a loving couple, even in public, and I always find PDA between not-so-young couples endearing.

At the office, we've started speculating which ex-TV3 celebrity will become the next first lady. Personally I think that is not Pak Lah's style. His ministers or ministers' relatives (even the Sultan of Brunei) may indulge in picking up wives from the Nona runway, but for someone so laidback yet publicly so in love with his late wife? Naaah.

Al-Fatihah to Datin Seri Endon. May Allah bless her soul.

A result of all this is a rumour going round that next Monday has been declared a public holiday. A colleague called up a friend at Bernama news agency to confirm. I just checked The Star Online - it's not. That means I still have a PRA to attend (iftar included - yay!!).