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| Southeast Asia |
| Abdullah sworn in as Malaysian PM |
| 2004-03-22 |
| Good to see the Islamofascists get their asses whupped Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has been sworn in as the country’s leader after winning a landslide general election victory. The ruling National Front coalition also won 12 out of 13 states, recapturing the state of Terengganu from the Islamic Party (Pas). A recount is still underway in the only other state Pas controls, Kelantan. It is a major victory for Mr Abdullah, who assumed power in October when Mahathir Mohamad retired. The 64-year-old career politician and former Islamic student had campaigned hard in the northern states - a heartland for ethnic Malay Muslims - and has called for "modern and progressive" Islamic rule. "This big win means a lot to us all. It represents the acceptance, the support of the people for the coalition," Mr Abdullah said after declaring victory. His ruling coalition won 195 of 219 seats in the federal parliament and stunned the Islamic opposition by securing huge margins, even in the states the opposition thought were safely its own. The opposition Islamic leader, Abdul Hadi Awang, has conceded defeat in Terengganu, which has been held by Pas since 1999. Mr Hadi lost his parliamentary seat as well as his position as Terengganu’s chief minister. Terengganu state has been controlled by Pas since 1999 The final result in the state of Kelantan is still not clear. Pas had been hoping to hang on to both states it controlled before the election, and also take control of a third state, Kedah. But the ruling party retained control of the state, as well as its tiny neighbour Perlis, which Pas had also targeted. Mr Abdullah was appointed as prime minister by Mr Mahathir in a long-arranged power transfer. The BBC’s Jonathan Kent says this election victory may give the new prime minister the boost he needs to push through his package of reforms, including his promise to stamp out corruption. The huge parliamentary majority gives the ruling coalition the power to pass laws uncontested. The only winner among the opposition parties was the non-religious Democratic Action Party. Its chairman and deputy were returned to parliament, having lost their seats in 1999. In a surprise result, the National Justice Party of jailed former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim lost four out of the five seats it previously held. Mr Anwar’s wife Azizah Ismail was the only member of the party to retain their seat. |
| Posted by:tipper |