By Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 2003 (IPS)

One month after taking over from Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is coming across as a caring populist promising to eradicate corruption, improve public service and narrow the gap between the people and their leaders.

Essentially, Abdullah is promising the same deal Mahathir had always offered this country of 21 million people – development, racial peace, special status for Malays and Islam and a fair share of wealth for all – except that he would do all these and more but at the same time combat corruption, promote transparency and make leaders accountable.

The day after he assumed office on Oct. 31, Abdullah visited his hometown in Penang where over 10,000 people lined up to greet him. He told the cheering crowd: "I have inherited a successful and highly developed country made possible by Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s policies. I pledge to continue these policies."

"Work with me, not for me," Abdullah told the people.

Since taking over, Abdullah has hit the road, visiting farmers, factory workers and fishermen in remote corners of the country, thumping shoulders, eating with them, praying at village mosques and promising a more caring and more accountable government.

In the capital, he takes off on surprise visits to notoriously corrupt and inefficient departments, talks to people lining up for service and demands that civil servants account for delays and grouses on the spot.

Abdullah is a picture of softspoken and smiling humility, choosing his words with great care to avoid offending listeners. At one government department, for instance, members of the public gave him a standing ovation.

But critics like Lim Kit Siang, chairman of the opposition Democratic Action Party, told IPS that Abdullah can convince Malaysians only by taking action and not just making promises.

"Despite numerous promises he has not taken action to eradicate corruption and promote transparency," Lim said. "He might end up holding the record for highest number of undelivered promises."

Sceptics also argue that despite Abdullah’s humility in public, cold calculation shapes everything he does because his promises have been made under the full glare of television cameras are given prime time airing to shore up his image.

A day after taking office, Abdullah installed a new police chief – a man widely known to fight corruption and abuse of power in the police force – taking into consideration rising concern about a sharp rise in rape, violent crime and death under police custody.

Later Abdullah did not hesitate to send to prison, and without trial, 13 students who were deported from Pakistan on Nov. 15 for suspected Islamic militancy. Muslim groups and human rights activists protested this, but Abdullah said police needed to detain the students to probe their alleged links to the Jemaiah Islamiyah militant group.

A week later, Abdullah freed 15 people held without trial under the Internal Security Act for alleged Islamic extremism, saying the men have been rehabilitated. He won kudos from the Islamic party PAS and rights activists.

Another action that was greeted with mixed reaction was the sacking of Abdullah Ahmad, editor of the government-controlled ‘New Straits Times’ newspaper on Nov. 25.

Abdullah had been put there by Mahathir and was given to using the premier daily to lecture Prime Minister Abdullah and the ruling party, the United Malays Nationalist Organisation, on who to promote in government and how to manage the economy.

"Abdullah has shown that he speaks softly but also carry a big stick he is not averse to using," University of Malaya Professor Khoo Kay Kim told IPS. "Abdullah is very experienced. He is used to exercising power."

But the caring side of Abdullah is the face that the official media have been told to sell.

Abdullah is also looking to get a convincing victory in upcoming general election expected before next June.

A top priority is to persuade Malays, who had rejected Mahathir’s "un-Islamic ways" and had supported the opposition PAS in the 1999 general election, to return to the government fold.

"The election result would be a crucial test of his leadership and the legitimacy of his government," Khoo said.

Senior aides say Abdullah’s strategy is to consolidate and expand on the economic measures of his predecessor, but mitigate the negative impacts of rapid modernisation like the open collusion between big business and politicians and corruption.

Abdullah’s officials say he gives priority to the ordinary person whose needs and voice went unheard during Mahathir’s leap forward.

But in his message to the majority Malay Muslims, whose support is crucial for his political survival, he promises to protect Malay political and economic interests and give Islam a premier and respected place in government and society.

Unlike Mahathir, Abdullah is careful not to thrash PAS whose aim is to turn the country into an Islamic state.

To win Muslim support, PAS released a 53-page Islamic State Document on Oct. 27 that lists its vision of an Islamic society. PAS is promising real justice, total respect of human rights and true democracy in accordance with Islam, which it says is superior to guarantees under liberal democracy.

Abdullah says most of what PAS has listed is already incorporated in government policies. Convincing Malay Muslims is a task that comes easily to Abdullah, some say. "Malays see Abdullah as a upright and pious Muslim and coming from his added advantage is that he is from a family of highly respected family of Muslim scholars," said Khoo. "Abdullah understands well the power of Islam over rural Malays."

When visiting villages, Abdullah often leads prayers in local mosques – a privilege given only to respected scholars. The government-controlled media is also bursting with images of Abdullah pounding hands, chatting with villagers.

It is a sharp contrast with Mahathir, often pictured with foreign dignitaries or world business leaders.

PAS secretary-general Nasharuddin Mat Isa said the party was willing to wait and see Abdullah carry out his promise to eradicate corruption. "Dr Mahathir did not fulfil his pledges…we have to wait to see if Abdullah lives up to his (pledges)," he said.

Writing in Malaysiakini, an independent news website, political analyst James Wong said Abdullah has to fill a large intellectual vacuum left behind by Mahathir.

"An Abdullah pulled into opposite directions by supporters and opponents of Mahathirism would most likely not be a dynamic and active innovator but a static and passive balancer," Wong wrote last week.

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