The Sunday Star on page 2 quoted Abdullah as saying he would seek an audience with the Agong on Thursday to tell him of his intention to resign as PM.
“I hope that the official handover ceremony can be held on the same day,” he was quoted as saying.
The paper had an interesting correction today – on page 8:
With Najib and his men basking in the glow of victory, the real test for them begins now as they confront the challenges that lie ahead.
When you think of it, he has been getting plenty of free advice from a host of personalities associated or previously associated with Umno: Abdullah, Mahathir, Razaleigh, Zaid…
He has the power, but there is one thing even Power will find hard to manage and that is public perception.
Here’s something I wrote for Asia Times after the Umno elections:
Challenges mount for Malaysia’s Najib
By Anil NettoPENANG – Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak took a big step towards taking over the premiership when he was returned unopposed this week as president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant party in Malaysia’s ruling coalition. His men also bagged most of the leadership posts in the recently concluded party elections. As head of the UMNO, Najib automatically becomes premier, although a formal handover date has yet to be announced.
Najib has been hammering home a message of change and reform, but many Malaysians wonder what his vision might entail.
What a day to have lunch together.
On a day when Najib is announcing his staggering RM60 billion stimulus package, Abdullah has lunch with Anwar.
I haven’t seen Abdullah looking so relaxed and cheerful for a long time. Click here to have a peek.
A new billboard in KL has sparked speculation over Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s political future.
The billboard, along Jalan Syed Putra near the turnoff to Taman Seputeh, features a large portrait of Abdullah Badawi, at least 10 feet high, with the words “Opinions Ideas appreciated, viewpoints welcomed”. It also includes his email a website address.
Blog reader lanwm spotted the billboard too:
I was like I can’t believe my eyes when I saw that huge billboard with his face! I tried covering it with my hands but it was just too huge to be covered!
The question that a few are asking is, why would a Prime Minister who is leaving office soon want to solicit public views during the twilight days of his administration?
With the reactionary forces now taking over Umno, Mahathir has fired a broadside calling for a strong, powerful government.
He said in his latest blog entry that a weak government would be incapable of dealing with racial and religious conflicts:
We now have a weak Government and clearly it is incapable of dealing with the tendency towards conflicts because of race and religion. Because of its weakness it commands little respect and even the weakest parties would thumb its collective noses at the Government. The Government apparently has no idea how to handle these problems. We see it apologising only to have it’s apologies rejected.
Hang on a minute. Who are the ones actually stirring these conflicts? Who exactly is responsible for “race politics”?
If the government is weak today, it is because of its inability to reform the oppressive structures, many of which were put in place during Mahathir’s time. It is this inability to reform and undo the damage of the Mahathir era that led to the Abdullah administration losing much of its popular support. In fact, the Abdullah administration’s initial popularity was premised on the hope that Abdullah’s softer approach promised to usher in an era of liberalisation that would be in stark contrast to Mahathir’s repressive rule.
Of course, we know that Mahathir’s use of the terms “strong government” and “stability” are but code words for authoritarian and even repressive rule.