|
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP): Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi appears to have made his biggest political blunder yet by seeking a fresh mandate amid surging public anger against his administration.
The miscalculation dealt his ruling coalition a string of defeats in Saturday's general elections and could eventually cost Abdullah his job, analysts said. "He misread the signs. A lot of people were voting against Badawi," said Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a human rights lawyer and political commentator. "He became the face of the mismanagement of the country. People were beginning to really, really dislike him despite his affable demeanor." Abdullah's National Front coalition lost its two-thirds majority in the 222-member Parliament for the first time in four decades, winning only a simple majority of 139 seats. The opposition also won control of legislatures in five of Malaysia's 13 states in the biggest electoral upset in the country's history. The results were seen as a verdict against a string of missteps by Abdullah and his failure to fulfill promises made ahead of 2004 elections which the National Front won in its biggest victory ever. Analysts say the 68-year-old ignored Malaysia's widening poverty gap and increasing cost of living. Corruption appeared to get worse even though he had promised to eradicate it, while charges of nepotism fizzed around his government. He made his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin one of his advisers. Unconfirmed reports surfaced about a yacht Abdullah bought in Turkey and a house his son purchased in Perth, angering many low income Malaysians. When the southern state of Johor was struggling after floods in late 2006, Abdullah was in Perth to inaugurate his brother's curry restaurant. Some even criticized him for remarrying less than two years after his first wife died of cancer and then showing public affection toward his new partner. "At a time when the country is crumbling around us we have to watch his lovey-dovey going-ons with his wife," said Malik. "People don't want to see a lovable teddy bear. They want a tough leader." Abdullah's next big test will be when he faces the general assembly of the United Malays National Organization, the largest party in the National Front, later this year. "The reality is that there will be tremendous pressure within UMNO for him (Abdullah) to step down," said Bridget Welsh of the Johns Hopkins University, an expert on Southeast Asia who was in Malaysia to monitor the polls. The Front is a coalition of 11 small parties and three major ones that represent Malaysia's main ethnic groups — the majority Muslim Malays who make up 60 percent of the 27 million population, the Chinese at 25 percent and Indians at 8 percent. Traditionally, Malays have voted for UMNO, the Chinese for the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Indians for the Malaysian Indian Congress. The parties have been given Cabinet posts proportional to the seats they win in Parliament. The power-sharing arrangement has helped ensure racial stability, and it worked as long as the three races believed only their parties could look after their respective communities' interests. But the minorities have become increasingly disappointed at the failure of their parties to protect them. The Chinese and Indians were angry at an affirmative action program, known as the New Economic Policy, that has given Malays preference in jobs, education, business, housing, finance and religion since 1971. They also worried that their religious rights were being eroded by the government, which has been openly pushing to make society more Islamic. Several Indian temples were destroyed by authorities last year, purportedly for illegal construction, and many courts presiding over religious disputes ruled in favor of Muslims. Ordinary Malays were also unhappy, with many charging that the benefits of the New Economic Policy were being reaped only by rich and well-connected Malays. Repressive police tactics also fueled anger. Officers dispersed thousands of people with tear gas and water cannons at a street protest in October to demand electoral and judicial reforms. Similarly, minority Indians were chased away by the police when they held an unprecedented rally to protest against racial discrimination in November. Five of their leaders were jailed under a law that allows indefinite detention without trial. One of them contested a state assembly seat from jail and won. It is not clear if he will be allowed to serve. These frustrations were tapped by the opposition parties, which for the first time set aside their ideological differences and came together to pose a united challenge. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim campaigned on a platform that urged people to look outside race-based politics. His election rallies attracted thousands of people compared to a few hundred by ruling party candidates. It is clear that the Indian and Chinese minorities abandoned the National Front in droves — the Chinese party in the coalition won 15 of the 40 seats it contested and the Indian grouping won only three of the nine seats it stood for. Many Malays also voted against UMNO, which won 78 seats compared to 109 in 2004. Although the opposition parties are also identified by race, they have agreed to build a multiracial alliance where all races will be treated equally. "What is crucial now is how the opposition works as a coalition. The mandate given to them has created a national opposition for the first time," said Welsh. (INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE)
 |
Subscribe RSS
The Blogs 
He was very bitter and he said the following:
* It is all because of Samy
* Samy did not see the pulse of the rakyat
* Samy is egoistic, had an attitude and was very proud
* Samy should have supported HINDRAF and had a dialogue with them
* Samy should not have stood for election again
* Samy should have fought with Pak Lah not to use force against HINDRAF
etc. etc. etc.
I totally agreed with him, but asked him WHY DIDN'T PAK LAH AS THE NATIONAL LEadER AND THE LEadER OF BN STOPPED SAMY? He had no answer..
Friends.. It is Pak Lah, who screwed up BN and UMNO during this GE. The following is expected:
1) He resigns voluntarily
2) The lost UMNO, MCA and MIC candidates will force him to resign
3) The UMNO supreme council will ask him to resign
4) A vote of no confidence in his PM ship will be made by the opposition parties
5) He will be challenged for UMNO presidency by Najib in the next UMNO General Assembly
6) He will run away to Perth
WHATEVER, PAK LAH IS A NON ENTITY, NON RELEVANT AND WILL DISAPPEAR SOON.
HE HAS TO GO AWAY and you bloggers continue your protest please.