KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak expressed sadness over the death of Datuk Mochtar Mahmud Baginda who was his press secretary when he was the Pahang Menteri Besar.
The Prime Minister tweeted that Mochtar had played a significant role in the talks between the government and Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) that ultimately led to the agreement under which the communist laid down their arms.
Mochtar died at 5pm yesterday at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan. He was 81. He is survived by wife Halifah Mat Noh, 80, and two daughters, Fatimah, 57, and Maryati, 53.
Born on June 21, 1937, Mochtar had served as a journalist in Utusan Melayu.
He served as Najib’s press secretary from May 1982 to August 1986 when Najib was the Pahang Menteri Besar.
He had also served as press secretary to two other Pahang menteris besar, namely Datuk Rahim Abu Bakar and Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman. — BERNAMA