KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak expressed sadness over the death yesterday of Datuk Mochtar Mahmud Baginda who was his press secretary when he was the Mentri Besar of Pahang.

The Prime Minister tweeted that Mochtar had played a significant role in the government talks with the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) that ultimately led to the agreement under which the communist terrorists laid down arms.

Mochtar died at 5 pm yesterday at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan. He was 81. He leaves behind wife Halifah Mat Noh, 80, and two daughters, Fatimah, 57, and Maryati, 53.

Born on June 21, 1937, Mochtar had served as a journalist at Utusan Melayu.

He served as Najib’s press secretary from May 1982 to August 1986 when Najib was the Mentri Besar of Pahang.

He had also served as press secretary to two other Pahang mentris besar, namely Datuk Rahim Abu Bakar and Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman. — Bernama