KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 — Respected economist and academician Datuk Madeline Berma reportedly died at her Bandar Baru Bangi home at 11.30am today.
The renowned expert, recognised for her vast contributions in education and community development, breathed her last aged 64, reported Astro Awani.
The news of her passing was shared by her comrade and economist Prof Tan Sri Noor Azlan Ghazali in a Facebook post.
“I lost a friend and scholar who fought for human lives, especially poverty eradication. (She was an) academician who lived her fight. Her contributions to the country were significant,” his post read.
Details surrounding her death have not been released.
The Sarawak-born Madeline was a political analyst who often shared her views on various media platforms. She started her career as an academician before transitioning to a leadership role in several non-governmental bodies and social development committees.
She obtained a bachelor’s in economics from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 1982, followed by a master’s in literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States in 1986, and a doctorate from the University of Hull, the United Kingdom, in 1997.
Madeline served as an associate professor at UKM’s Economy and Management Faculty until 2018, and was director of the Tun Fatimah Hashim Women’s Leadership Centre from 2011 to 2016.
Throughout her career, she performed various studies on economic development, specifically in rural development, poverty, and women.
In 2019, Madeline was appointed to head the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).
