By Sim Leoi Leoi and Raphael Wong
PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik let rip on the last day of his office in Government by issuing the strongest advice to the Prime Minister.
Change the advisers because they are giving the wrong advice, which partly led to major losses for Barisan Nasional in the general election, the Gerakan adviser said.
Dr Lim, who retired from active politics last year, said although he still had confidence in Abdullah’s leadership, Abdullah had got to think a lot and much deeper on issues of the day and “do something.”
“There is no leadership issue. The advice given to him has been wrong. If his advisers have been giving the wrong advice, remove them all. If it’s been the right advice, why should we be here now?
Dr Lim was talking to reporters after handing over his Energy, Water and Communications Ministry tag at his office here yesterday.
Other reasons contributing to the losses included the arrogant attitude of some Barisan politicians, the lack of cyber campaigning and the discriminatory implementation of government policies by certain civil servants, he pointed out.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/11/nation/20602704&sec=nation]
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Sack bad advisers, PM urged - The Star
Monday, March 10, 2008
Umno And Other BN Component Parties Support Abdullah - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR, MARCH 10 (Bernama) -- Umno and other Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties today unequivocally voiced full support for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister and Umno president.
Umno deputy president and deputy BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that the stand was very important to maintain confidence in the country, especially investor confidence as well as helping Umno face new challenges.
"Therefore, trust and confidence in the Umno leadership is very important. As such, the Umno supreme council hopes there will not be any more doubt about Umno's top leadership or any speculation or effort to change leadership or any action that does not reflect the desire of the supreme council," he said at a press conference after a BN Supreme Council meeting here.
The BN Supreme Council meeting was held after the Umno Supreme Council meeting at Menara Datuk Onn of the Putra World Trade Centre here.
Najib said the same matter had been raised at the BN Supreme Council meeting chaired by Abdullah, where all heads of the BN component parties had voiced unanimous support for Abdullah as Prime Minister and BN Chairman.
Najib said he had very good relations with Abdullah as Umno president and Prime Minister and it was the desire of the supreme council to see the good relations maintained.
"When there is unity, leadership and trust, the party will be stronger and more united," he said.
[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=319858]
NEP Ended In 1991, MAPEN In Place Now, Says Abdullah - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the issue of abolishing the New Economic Policy (NEP) raised by the opposition parties should not have come up as the policy ended in 1991.
Since then, the government has set up the National Economic Consultative Council (MAPEN) to be responsible for planning the development of the country's economy.
"Through MAPEN, many policies had been agreed upon for implementation by the government and among the policies were two policies taken from the NEP, with one being the overall eradication of poverty irrespective of race, and the second dealt with distribution," he said at a press conference after chairing the Umno Supreme Council and Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting here today.
Abdullah was replying to questions on plans by the opposition parties, which won several state governments in the recent election, to abolish the NEP.
He said the government would continue to holistically carry out its poverty eradication programmes considering that hard core poverty still existed.
"We have continued to implement the programmes until today as poverty still exist including hardcore poverty even if the percentage has been reduced significantly from the past.
[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=319857]
PM Reiterates Khairy Has No Influence On Him - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today reiterated strongly that Khairy Jamaluddin had never been an influence in whatever he has done or decision he has made.
"Khairy is not an influence in whatever I do. He's the Umno Youth vice-head, and he has his idea about anything.
"There may be some coincidence that he speaks about the same policy and not because the policy is what he has promoted, it's a policy of the government," the Prime Minister told newsmen at the Umno Headquarters, here.
He added that as an Umno member, it was a duty for Khairy to know policies of the government and talk about it.
"It doesn't mean that when we talk about the policy, it means that it's the policy he suggested," he said when commenting on a statement made by his predecessor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday alleging that Khairy was responsible for the major defeat suffered by Barisan Nasional (BN) in the just-concluded general election.
The Umno president said what happened to Khairy was due to the misperception based on the fact that the latter was the son-in-law of the Prime Minister.
[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=319844]
Mukhriz Says He's All For Abdullah As PM - Bernama
BUTTERWORTH, March 10 (Bernama) -- Umno Youth executive committee member Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir today expressed his full support for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to lead the nation as Prime Minister.
"I will support any action that will gain confidence towards the prime minister," Mukhriz, who is also MP for Jerlun, said at a packed news conference.
He said this amid rumours that he had called for a news conference to call for the resignation of the prime minister following Barisan Nasionals shocking defeat in the just-ended general election.
Some 500 people, including Umno Youth leaders from the northern zone, attended the news conference which was scheduled to be held at Sunway Hotel but was later moved to Pearl View Hotel.
"The SMS is not true that I'm calling for someone's resignation.
I know there were SMS going round stating that I would do so. I'm not sure who was the culprit behind it," he said. "I 've been receiving many calls and SMS expressing many views.
What is apparent to me is that there is a sense of loss among Umno and Barisan Nasional members because it has been an unmitigated situation that we are faced with, unprecedented in many ways.
"We have never lost that many states, so it is a wake-up call definitely," said Mukhriz.
[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=319773]
Abdullah sworn in as Malaysia PM - Agencies
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Malaysian prime minister, has been sworn in for a second five-year term, rejecting calls to resign after the ruling coalition's worst-ever election performance.
"I pledge to carry out my duties honestly and with all my abilities," he said, reading out the oath on Monday as he was sworn in by Malaysia's king.
"I pledge to protect and uphold the constitution."
The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has ruled Malaysia since the country gained independence half a century ago, retained a simple majority in Saturday's polls, but suffered unprecedented losses to a loose opposition coalition.
The loss of seats also broke the BN's hold on two-thirds of the parliamentary majority which enabled to amend the constitution without debate.
On Monday, Malaysian stocks dived six per cent to a seven-month low with the ringgit also falling as the market reacted to the political uncertainty following the coalition's heaviest election losses in 50 years.
[More at http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/EEB3F8E2-CD7C-4925-8F58-A3D1BB897422.htm]
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Wind Of Change In Favour Of Pas In Kelantan - Bernama
KOTA BAHARU, March 9 (Bernama) -- Based on the tremendous response given to the Barisan Nasional (BN) throughout the 13-day campaign to end Pas' 18-year-rule in Kelantan, the results in the just-concluded election is "unexpected", to say the least.
The silent majority, which the BN had banked on to turn the tide to its favour, had voted to the contrary -- by returning Pas to power with a bigger majority.
The final tally saw Pas winning a total of 38 state seats while its opposition partner Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) won one, giving the opposition front a total of 39 out of 45 state seats. The BN won the other six seats.
For parliamentary seats, Pas won nine, PKR three and BN two, a stark contrast to the scenario in the 2004 general election when the BN won 12 out of 14 parliamentary seats.
In the 2004 election, while the chief ministers and Menteris Besar in other states were being sworn in, Kelantan was still in a state of uncertainty as the BN and Pas were tied at 19 seats each, with recounts in seven more seats.
It was only two days after the voting that Kelantan was able to form the state government with a slim majority of 24 seats compared to BN's 21 seats.
Pas further lost another seat to BN in the Pengkalan Pasir by-election in 2005.
[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=319587]
Malaysian ruling coalition suffers poll debacle - Reuters
By Jalil Hamid
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's ruling party faced its biggest electoral debacle on Sunday, as the opposition won five of 13 states, putting a dark cloud on the prime minister's political future.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's multi-racial National Front coalition managed to win just a simple majority in parliament and will form the government at the federal level.
But it lost a crucial two-thirds parliamentary majority it has held for most of its 50-year-long rule, the election body said. That level is needed to change the constitution.
The leftist Chinese-backed Democratic Action Party (DAP) won Penang state, which houses many multinational firms.
The opposition Islamist party PAS scored shock victories in the northern heartland states of Kedah and Perak and easily retained power in its stronghold in northeastern Kelantan state.
DAP and PAS also joined the People's Justice Party, or Parti Keadilan, to take control of the industrial state of Selangor and almost all the seats in capital Kuala Lumpur.
[More at http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKKLR9844320080308]
Barisan reels from worst-ever election performance - The Star
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is in shock. The Barisan Nasional is reeling from its worst-ever election performance.
While it managed to keep Terengganu and will form the next government, it lost Penang, Selangor Kedah and Perak to the Opposition and failed to recapture Kelantan.
Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in accepting the results, said this was clear proof of democracy at work in the country.
He urged people to remain calm and not take to the streets to celebrate.
Earlier, as reports spread of Barisan’s mounting losses, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan warned the public not to hold any victory celebrations or spread rumours of rioting and that the Internal Security Act would be used against offenders caught.
Musa’s concern is understandable considering Barisan’s losses are even bigger than what the ruling party experienced in the 1969 general election.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/9/nation/20590068&sec=nation]
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Upset for ruling coalition in Malaysia elections - Al Jazeera
Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi appears to have been returned to power in general elections, but there have been major swings against his ruling coalition.
Significantly they have come from the minority ethnic Chinese and Indian vote. The Indians had staged rare protests in Malaysia over what they say was discrimination.
The result will severely dent the ruling coalition's majority in Parliament, and could change forever the dynamics of Malaysian politics.
PM's post-election press conference - TheStarOnline.tv
Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi speaks at a press conference at Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur after the Election Commission announced that the coalition has won a simple majority in the 12th general election.
Malaysian election facts and figures - AP
Facts and figures on Malaysia's general elections Saturday.
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CONTESTANTS: Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's National Front coalition is facing three opposition groups—the People's Justice Party, Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party and Democratic Action Party—and various independent candidates.
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WHAT'S AT STAKE: 222 seats in Parliament and 505 state legislature seats. The National Front has already won eight parliamentary seats and three state seats uncontested, while the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party won one state seat.
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SYSTEM: About 11 million people in this country of 27 million are registered voters. Voting is not mandatory.
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RESULTS: Parliamentary seats are key because the party or coalition that has a majority forms the federal government for the next five years. The prime minister is by tradition the head of the winning side. The National Front has won every general election since independence from Britain in 1957. It also controls all the state legislatures except in northeastern Kelantan state, which has been ruled by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party since 1990.
[From http://www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ci_8495831]
Malaysians Cast Their Ballots Today - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysians go out to the polling booths Saturday to discharge their responsibility as citizens in the 12th general election which is expected to return the Barisan Nasional (BN) to lead the government for the next five years.
A total of 10.9 million registered voters are eligible to choose the elected representatives for 214 of the 222 parliamentary seats and 501 of the 505 State Legislative Assembly seats nationwide except for Sarawak which is only involved in the election for parliamentary seats.
The Election Commission (EC) opened 7,950 polling centres throughout the country, with 21,822 polling streams, which mostly involve schools, multipurpose halls and longhouses from 8am until 5pm.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be voting at Sekolah Kebangsaan Permatang Batas, Kepala Batas while Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will do so at Sekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Ahmad Shah, Pekan.
EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman expects about 75 per cent of the registered voters to cast their votes.
[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=319254]
Tireless Khir may have saved the day - The Star
By Dharmender Singh
KLANG: The concerted effort by the Opposition in Selangor looks likely to have been thwarted, thanks largely to the endeavours of state Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.
Dr Khir spent less than three days campaigning in his own Sungai Panjang seat since the state assembly was dissolved on Feb13. Instead, he has travelled the length and breadth of the state to either rally forces or put out the fires caused by the change of candidates.
It was the healing of rifts within component parties following the change of candidates that gave Dr Khir the most headaches.
He took a few hours yesterday to step back and observe the situation.
“The black areas have turned grey and the grey areas are turning white. These changes have come day by day.
“But I am confident that we will not only keep the two-thirds majority in the state but also retain the seats we won in the last general election,” he declared.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/8/nation/20582609&sec=nation]
Friday, March 7, 2008
Dr M: No regrets over Anwar’s jailing - The Star
ALOR STAR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reiterated yesterday that he felt no guilt whatsoever over what happened to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the video clip containing his remarks about the former deputy prime minister that had been distorted by the opposition to say he regretted the jailing of Anwar, was taken at a ceramah (political talk) he (Dr Mahathir) gave two years ago.
“I was making some sarcastic remarks because there were still people who believed I was responsible for his jailing when the fact is, it was the court that found him guilty,” he said at his home in Kampung Titi Gajah here .
He said that the Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser was an opportunist and would use whatever means available to get what he wants.
“Initially he wanted to join PAS. But when he saw he would get nowhere in that party, he asked to join Umno ... not that we invited him in ... I did not bring him into Umno.
“Two days after joining he wanted to be the Youth leader, a year later vice-president and a year after that deputy president. I only got a chance to be an elected representative after 18 years in the party and a minister after 28 years.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/7/nation/20563166&sec=nation]
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Pak Lah leads anti-Anwar charge - Malaysiakini.tv
At the opposition bashing fiesta, Abdullah picked on Anwar - the PKR de facto leader - even though he had declared at the onset of his speech that it is no longer important to talk about him.
"I don't need to talk about Anwar, he is not important to me, he is not important to Umno. He doesn�t have friends in Umno because he fights against the party.
"The party can�t accept him back, no way! We have enough leaders, no need to wait for him to come back," he thundered to a round of applause.
Abdullah said that, since Anwar is not being accepted, the latter has started to "look for friends" in the opposition parties. He reiterated Anwar has merely been making irresponsible "empty promises" to voters.
BN leaders had earlier dismissed the ex-deputy premier - who was sacked in 1998 after a fallout with then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad - as not having significant political influence.
Abdullah also took on Guan Eng, questioning the DAP secretary-general�s sincerity in contesting in Penang.
"I heard that Penangites not only want a chief minister who is from Penang, but also from the island. Where does Lim Guan Eng come from? He ran away from Malacca and came here, does he think that the Penangites are stupid or what?" he asked.
Timeline: Malaysian politics - Al Jazeera
Malaysians go to the polls on March 8th in the country's 12th general election since gaining independence 50 years ago.
The following is a brief look at some of the key events in Malaysia's political scene in the last 10 years.
1998
Mahathir Mohamad, then Malaysian prime minister, sacks deputy Anwar Ibrahim for alleged sexual misconduct amid differences over economic policy in the wake of the Asian financial crisis.
Anwar acts as lightning rod for opposition to government, mobilising thousands of people on to the streets to demand reforms.
1999
April – Anwar found guilty of corruption and sentenced to six years in prison.
November – Mahathir's Barisan Nasional coalition dealt severe blow at elections, dropping nine percentage points from the previous poll to 56 per cent of the popular vote and from 84 per cent of the seats in parliament to under 77 per cent.
2000
Anwar found guilty of sodomy and jailed nine years.
2003
Mahathir resigns after 22 years in power, handing reins to Abdullah Badawi.
2004
March - Abdullah wins landslide general election victory, getting nearly 64 per cent of the popular vote and more than 90 per cent of the seats in parliament.
September - Anwar freed after court overturns sodomy conviction but corruption conviction continues to stand, meaning he is banned from politics for five years.
2006
Government reaffirms affirmative action plan first implemented in 1971 to reduce income disparity, especially between poor Malays and rich Chinese.
The original goal was to bridge the gap in 20 years but government now says the plan – criticised as racial discrimination - will be in place until 2020
2007
May - Top civil court rejects ethnic Malay woman's appeal to be recognised as a Christian, ruling that she must go to the Islamic court – where she could face prosecution – to formally recognise her conversion.
The case highlights a string of others - with accusations of bodies taken from families for religious burials and children taken from converts - sparking charges of religious persecution.
July - Najib Razak, the deputy prime minister, says Malaysia is an Islamic state, not a secular one, echoing Mahathir's declaration in 2001.
August - Malaysia marks 50 years of independence.
November - Police use tear gas and chemcial-laced water cannon to break up an opposition-backed protest by the group Bersih (meaning "clean" in Malay), calling for changes to the electoral system.
Two weeks later riot police use similar tactics to break up a protest by thousands of ethnic Indian Malaysians demonstrating against racial and religious discrimination.
2008
February - Police break up protest by several hundred ethnic Indians. Protesters say they had been trying to deliver flowers to the prime minister in a peaceful demonstration.
March - Malaysia votes in its 12th general elections
[From http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CBDE31A5-4A83-49A3-99B1-A9F74EA113BC.htm]
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Abdullah slams Anwar - The Star
By Zarinah Daud
KEPALA BATAS: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim did nothing when he was Education Minister and he sang different tunes before different crowds, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.
The Prime Minister agreed with Dr Chandra Muzaffar's comments on Monday about the former deputy prime minister.
“There is truth in what Dr Chandra said about him (Anwar), based on what he has done before.”
Abdullah said Anwar made no changes when he was Education Minister and there was no career advancement for many experienced teachers.
He said Anwar would say different things to different audiences.
Abdullah also agreed with former Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik who on Saturday described Anwar as a “chameleon”.
“Keng Yaik knows Anwar very well. He (Anwar) promised the Indians a lot of things. But what did he do when he was in the Government?” the Prime Minister asked.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=/2008/3/5/election2008/20540632&sec=Election2008]
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
EC cancels use of indelible ink - The Star
By Raphael Wong
PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission has cancelled the use of indelible ink in polling this Saturday, citing public order and security reasons.
Its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said following a meeting held Tuesday, the EC was obliged to make a firm and final decision to ensure the smooth conduct of the 12th general election.
He said provisions to the law needed if the ink was to be used still could not affect the constitutional right of a voter to cast his vote, even a person whose fingernail had been marked with indelible ink or one who refuses to have his or her fingernail marked this way.
"From a practical point of view, the issuance of a ballot paper to such a voter would render the EC's proposal meaningless and will not bring about a positive result, whilst having the potential to create misunderstanding as well as altercations and arguments at polling stations," he said.
The Federal Constitution gives you the right to vote, and a black mark on your fingernail should not bar you from exercising this right, he said.
Abdul Rashid said there were also reports made to the police confirming that certain irresponsible quarters had purchased indelible ink from abroad with the intention of creating confusion and suspicion as to the status of voters.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=/2008/3/4/election2008/20080304175316&sec=Election2008]
