By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 24: Dato Idris Jala, who was the first Orang Ulu to become a federal minister in Malaysia, has been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer.
According to Free Malaysia Today, this was revealed in an episode of the ‘Game of Impossible’ podcast with his son, Leon, whereby 67-year-old Idris said that the discovery was made after a medical check-up on a persistent cough.
Following the announcement, Idris said he would be stepping away from co-hosting the podcast, with Leon to continue hosting without him.
Idris developed a reputation as a ‘turnaround expert’ in the corporate world, especially after taking national carrier Malaysia Airlines from recording RM1.3 billion in losses in 2005 to RM852 million in profits just two years later. He was also the airline’s chief executive officer (CEO) from 2005 to 2009.
In 2009, he was appointed a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, cementing his legacy as the first Orang Ulu to become a federal minister in Malaysia.
Under the post, he led the government’s Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) from 2009 to 2015, heading the then government’s national transformation programme.
Additionally, Idris was also listed as among the ten most influential policymakers in the world in 2014 by Bloomberg.
In 2017, Pemandu was disestablished as Pemandu Associates Sdn Bhd, where Idris is currently president and chairman. — DayakDaily
