Desmond Tutu an exceptional human being - Malaysian minister

"Personally, he has been an inspiration to me for the values that he stood for and for his indomitable spirit to fight for what is right and just.

"Indeed, with his passing, we have lost an exceptional human being, a truly great man," he said in his condolence statement today.

Mohamed Azmin noted that the world mourns the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu an ardent advocate of non-violence and world peace and a staunch fighter against apartheid, injustice and corruption.

He said for decades, Tutu has provided moral leadership and was a shining example of religious tolerance, moderation and compassion as well as a steadfast defender of global human rights, speaking out for the oppressed, the poor and the marginalised regardless of race, colour or creed.

Tutu, the Nobel Peace prize laureate who helped end apartheid in South Africa, has died at the age of 90.

He served as the first Black archbishop at the St Georges Cathedral in Cape Town in the 1980s and was also the chairperson of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up by the new democratic government in 1995 to help heal and reconcile the country by unearthing human rights violations that occurred during the apartheid regime.