Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The Government of Indonesia through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condoled the death of former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, according to a Foreign Affairs Ministry press statement on Saturday.
Fraser, Australia's 22nd prime minister, passed away peacefully in the early morning of Friday at the age of 84 after a brief illness, ABC News said, quoting a statement released by his office.
The Government of Indonesia press statement said Fraser was a statesman, who had become a role model for the values of multilateralism, democracy, and equality in history.
Former Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser has been remembered for his support of ASEAN in maintaining peace and stability in the region.
"The Government and the people of Indonesia pray that the bereaved family and the people of Australia are given strength and fortitude in the face of grief over the departure of the former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser," the press statement stated.
Fraser was born into a wealthy pastoral family in 1930 and first entered Parliament in 1955 as its youngest MP. He spent nearly two decades as a backbencher and in the ministry.
From his first days in politics, Fraser was an advocate for immigration as a means of boosting the population.
As a minister in the Gorton government, he became the first federal politician to use the word "multiculturalism," in a historic break from the Anglo-centric past of his own party. (WDY)
