Dr Ling (second from left) during the first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety in April 1990, chaired by then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. - NSTP FILE PICHe briefly helmed Barisan Nasional as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad dealt with Umno's registration crisis. The MCA flag being flown at half-mast outside Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur yesterday following the death of former party president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik. Dr Ling believed in pragmatism, navigating challenges calmly while managing complex inter-party relationships within BN. Dr Ling avoided "zero-sum" politics and rhetoric, preferring constructive negotiation and goodwill through his distinct dead-pan expression and gravelly voice.

Source: New Strait Times April 04, 2026 23:03 UTC