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MALAYSIA: Poll Setback Finally Prompts Reforms

Baradan Kuppusamy

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 20 2008 (IPS) - His political career seriously threatened by the outcome of this month’s general elections, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi seems ready to institute badly needed reforms, going by his inclusion of some of his bitterest critics in the new cabinet.

Badawi has also dropped Mahathir Mohamad-era veterans who had resisted change.

To assuage feelings that he has failed to promote transparency and accountability, as promised, he has announced that his ministers will now be required to declare their assets. “The people must know, they have a right to know,” a chastened Badawi said.

But is this a case of too little, too late? Some observers think so, but others say the dismal showing at the polls is finally forcing Badawi to making tough decisions that he has avoided so far since winning a huge mandate in 2004, promising to end Mahathir era excesses.

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said Badawi’s new cabinet sends mixed signals that he is finally listening to the grouses of the voters. “However, time might not be on his side,” Lim told IPS.

In the Mar. 8 polls Badawi’s ruling 14-party National Front (or Barisan Nasional) government lost five state governments to the Anwar Ibrahim-led opposition coalition. The NF also lost the two-thirds majority it had enjoyed since independence in 1957.

The NF’s share of the seats got slashed from 199 to 130 in the 222-seat parliament. It now takes only 30 lawmakers to cross over to the opposition for the government to fall.

In keeping with the need to push ahead with reforms Badawi announced a smaller 68-member cabinet, and in the process axed unpopular political heavyweights. But what was surprising was his inclusion of his staunch critics in the cabinet.

In fact, Badawi had dropped prominent human rights lawyer and critic of his regime, Zaid Ibrahim, from the candidate list for the polls, but has now made him minister and put him in charge of cleaning up the corruption-riddled judiciary.

He also brought in two other critics, Shahrir Samad and Shabery Cheek, into his cabinet giving them duties to reform his administration.

To raise business confidence Badawi has inducted Amirsham Aziz, president and CEO of Maybank, Malaysia’s biggest bank, into the cabinet. He will head the all- important economic planning unit.

“This type of reformist cabinet is long overdue,” said human rights lawyer and Bar Council deputy chairman Ragu Kesavan. “It seems that the poll losses have forced Badawi to bring in new faces. But will he give them the power and the scope to make changes.”

“Changes have got to be immediate and thorough to convince voters,” he told IPS. “We have to wait and see how far he will allow his new team will go,’’ Kesavan said.

Badawi’s seriousness will be gauged by how soon an independent judicial appointment and elevation commission for ensuring that only independent and honest judges are picked and elevated is set up.

By Malaysia’s electoral history Badawi suffered grievous losses although he retained his job. He lost five state governments to the opposition led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who described himself after the victory as the “prime minister and government in waiting.”

There are uncertainties as to how long Badawi may be able to continue as prime minister and maintain the stability of his government after such a setback. There is speculation that he might hand over the reins to his deputy Najib Razak mid-way into his second term.

To beef up the numbers, both leaders have publicly said they will accept lawmakers if they cross over, but will not buy any. Such a move adds to the climate of political uncertainty that has gripped the country.

To convince voters of his seriousness to reform, Badawi carefully omitted from the cabinet Khairy Jamaluddin, his 32-year-old son-in-law and rising political star, now fingered as partly to be blamed for the poll debacle.

He also dropped two political buddies whose performance had been lacklustre from the cabinet. Rafidah Aziz, who has held the international trade portfolio since 1987, was the most high-profile casualty of the reshuffle.

“I believe that with the choices we have made we will be able to fulfill our agenda,” he told a nationally televised press conference. “I would like to assure you that this term we would go into vigorous implementation of our policies and projects.”

Badawi who also holds the key finance portfolio has retained technocrat Nor Mohamed Yakcop as his second finance minister, but in another concession to critics he gave up the all powerful internal security portfolio to former foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar.

To whip his badly battered United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) party into shape Badawi has brought back the popular but tainted Muhammad Taib into his cabinet as rural and regional development minister. Taib was detained in Australia in 1996 for carrying several million dollars stuffed into a suitcase, but was later acquitted.

But that may not be enough. Razaleigh Hamzah, legislator and former finance minister, has declared the intention to contest the UMNO presidency, if nominated for the party elections in August. An old Badawi rival, Hamzah has called for a special UMNO meet in May to discuss the party’s future.

Among those who have been calling for Badawi to step down as prime minister and party president is Mukhriz Mahathir, son of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and regarded as among influential lawmakers.

“It is true that liberals, critics and reformists have been included in the cabinet,” said Steven Gan, editor of the independent portal Malaysiakini.com. “In addition, some of the veterans who had resisted change have been dropped.”

“But we should wait and see how they perform as a team and how far Badawi will let them go,” Gan added. “We have to reserve judgment now.”