The defeat of Malaysia’s ruling coalition in two by-elections signals a clear rejection of new Prime Minister Najib Razak, the opposition said yesterday, voicing concern he would resort to repression to cement his power.
The ruling coalition brushed off the losses, saying Najib needed more time to make an impression.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said his People’s Alliance increased the margin of victories in Tuesday’s polls despite Najib’s pledge of wide-ranging reforms after taking office last Friday.
“Clearly, it is a referendum [on Najib] because the entire line of [the government’s] campaign was that: ‘We have a new leader, give him a chance.’ That has crumbled,’’ he told reporters.
IN PURSUIT OF CHANGE
The results “demonstrated that the people of Malaysia remain committed to change,” he said.
The three-member People’s Alliance retained a parliament seat in northern Perak state and a state seat in northern Kedah state.
It lost in the race for a rural state seat in Sarawak on Borneo island, but Anwar said the opposition suspected foul play because vote-counting was not done in the polling booths but at another center in at least 14 areas.
The polls were to fill vacancies caused by two deaths and one resignation. The results do not change the balance of power at the federal or state level.
The National Front coalition has downplayed the loss, saying Najib has yet to make his mark.
“The feel-good factor from the power transition is still too new and has not sunk in,” said Najib’s right-hand man, Muhyiddin Yasin.
“I am confident that when the new leadership begin their duties and when reforms are implemented, it will convince the people,” said Muhyiddin, who is expected to be appointed deputy prime minister in the new Cabinet.
NEW CABINET
Najib is likely to announce his Cabinet today or by next week.
Anwar warned that Najib may resort to draconian measures to seal his rule, especially following the return of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to the ruling party. Mahathir, who ruled for 22 years until 2003, was known for his authoritarian ways.
“We expect more repressive measures by Najib as advised by the old prime minister. There is this strong consternation that the old order, the old regime that is repressive and intolerant, will be back,” he said.
Mahathir quit the party last year after clashing with his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who stepped down as prime minister and party president in favor of Najib.
With Tuesday’s result, the National Front will remain with 137 seats in the 222-member parliament, while the People’s Alliance will have 81 seats. Four other members are independents.
Anwar said Tuesday’s polls had given renewed momentum to his opposition alliance and voiced confidence it could “easily form the next government” in general elections due by 2013.
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
DITCH TACTICS: Kenyan officers were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by Haitian gang members A Kenyan policeman deployed in Haiti has gone missing after violent gangs attacked a group of officers on a rescue mission, a UN-backed multinational security mission said in a statement yesterday. The Kenyan officers on Tuesday were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch “suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs,” the statement said, adding that “specialized teams have been deployed” to search for the missing officer. Local media outlets in Haiti reported that the officer had been killed and videos of a lifeless man clothed in Kenyan uniform were shared on social media. Gang violence has left
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including
RSS