PENANG, Nov 1: A day after being sworn in as Malaysia’s new prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told supporters on Saturday to get ready for a general election.
After taking over from Mahathir Mohamad, who had led the country for 22 years, Abdullah Badawi’s first priority was a trip home to Penang island, on Malaysia’s northwestern coast.
A crowd of 10,000 well-wishers drawn from all of Malaysia’s three main ethnic groups gathered at the state’s airport to greet him.
“I wouldn’t be here speaking as prime minister without the support of the people,” Mr Abdullah told the ethnic Malays, Chinese and Indians who endured searing heat to greet him. “Let us work harder so that when we face a general election, we will achieve a bigger success than in 1999,” he told them.
Victory for the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is assured at the next election, which members of the new leadership circle suggest may be called by March or April, although it is not due until the end of next year.
But Mr Abdullah needs a convincing showing for his United Malays National Organization (UMNO) to push back a challenge by a conservative religious opposition for the Muslim, ethnic Malay vote.
The support of Malaysia’s sizable ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities helped the coalition keep its crucial two-thirds majority in 1999, despite UMNO losing more than half the Malay vote.
In Penang, rain fell to cool the crowd whose flags and banners showed where their support lay.
“Towards a New Era With Pak Lah,” read one, referring to the new premier by his nickname — a diminutive of Uncle Abdullah.
But people did not express much desire for change.
“Malaysia is like a car now that is running smoothly. You don’t want to overtune it,” said Lawrence Sadarnar Samy, 36, an ethnic Indian and former air force serviceman.
But some suggested a rethink of a three-decade old affirmative action policies favouring ethnic Malays.
“I hope he can continue with the good policies. There should be equal chances for all races,” said ethnic Chinese businessman Koh Aun Choo, 55.
The drop in UMNO support at the last election followed the humiliation of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who had been Mahathir’s political heir until a falling out in the midst of the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s.
Mr Anwar, who also hails from Penang and has a history of rivalry with Mr Abdullah, was sacked in 1998 and later jailed for 15 years for sodomy and abuse of power.
He was the third deputy prime minister Mahathir outlasted.
The transition of power, agreed in the middle of last year, has been smooth, but Mr Abdullah now has to contend with ambitious second tier leaders in UMNO.
Sources within the leadership’s inner circle said Mr Abdullah is most likely to name his deputy prime minister next month.
They said the favourite for the job is Defence Minister Najib Razak, although the new premier has not given any hints which of UMNO’s three vice presidents he will choose. Other cabinet changes will be made after an election, one political source said.
While Abdullah Badawi enjoyed home-town support on his first full day in his new job, Mahathir, 78, headed off for a holiday in Spain.—Reuters