Najib elected leader of ruling party in Malaysia

The Associated Press
Published: March 26, 2009
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was formally elected chief of Malaysia’s ruling party Thursday, bringing him a step closer to taking over the government despite accusations that he will crack down on dissent.

Najib is to take over as prime minister next week from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is stepping down after 5½ years in office to take responsibility for the drubbing the ruling United Malays National Organization party received in last year’s general elections.

In a farewell speech Thursday, Mr. Abdullah warned that the party will perish if it continues with its old ways of silencing critics, jailing opponents and discriminating against minorities.
‘‘We must come to our senses,’’ Mr. Abdullah told the party’s annual congress.
Mr. Najib, 55, ran unopposed and was declared U.M.N.O. president without any voting. Results of elections for deputy president, three vice presidents and 25 Supreme Council members were to be announced late Thursday.

Mr. Najib is suave and articulate, but his ascent to power has not been without controversy. He has been accused of corruption, including allegations about a deal to purchase French submarines when he was defense minister.
Mr. Najib denies the allegations, which have dominated blogs and Internet postings by Malaysian activists. The mainstream media, which are government-controlled, have not reported the accusations.

On Monday, police fired tear gas on an opposition rally, and a day later the government shut down two opposition party newspapers for three months.
As a result, the newspapers will not be able to reach out to voters during three parliamentary by-elections on April 7 that are seen as a referendum on Mr. Najib’s popularity.
The ban on newspapers also silences them on April 9, when a court will deliver its verdict in the trial of two policemen accused of murdering a former mistress of a close friend of Mr. Najib. The friend, Abdul Razak Baginda, was tried as an accessory, but was acquitted.

Mr. Najib denies the opposition allegations that he knew the woman.

Mr. Najib will also have to grapple with an economy that is heading for recession. Malaysia’s central bank said Wednesday it expects exports — the main pillar of the economy — will fall by a quarter this year.

Malaysian premier resigns as leader of party
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Kuala Lumpur, March 26 (DPA) Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Thursday stepped down as leader of the country's ruling party, clearing the way for his deputy, Najib Razak, to become president of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).
The uncontested election makes Najib, who is also deputy prime minister and Malaysia's finance minister, almost certainly the country's next premier.

Historically, all presidents of UMNO, the largest and most powerful party in the National Front government coalition, are elected as prime ministers.
While Abdullah has not set a date for handing the premiership over to Najib, local sources said it could take place as early as next week.

Earlier, in a rousing speech marking his resignation, Abdullah called on UMNO to work at rebuilding its badly bruised image or risk being made obsolete.
Abdullah was emotional and struggled to hold back tears throughout his opening speech of the UMNO general assembly in Kuala Lumpur.
"I've been privileged to see developments and growth within UMNO over the years and to be involved in the party's struggles," Abdullah said.

However, Abdullah said the party's popularity today was at an all-time low and urged delegates to unite in making the party relevant to the masses.
Abdullah said UMNO was facing "a test of credibility that is extremely heavy".
He said the party had been resting on its laurels for too long and failed to address the real needs of the people.

UMNO and the National Front have been in power for all of the country's 52-year history.
"We have been overcome by greed, by in-fighting," Abdullah warned. "We have failed to manage our own successes."
After Abdullah reiterated Thursday that he would not seek re-election, Najib was made party chief in an uncontested election.
Abdullah's resignation came after mounting criticism against his leadership following embarrassing losses for the party and the National Front government in last year's general elections.

The three-party opposition alliance managed to wrest away control of five of Malaysia's 13 states and for the first time in history denied the government a two-thirds majority in parliament.
Abdullah, who initially refused to step down, eventually relented after embarrassing public criticism of his performance.
On Thursday, Abdullah defended his service to the party since taking over from former premier Mahathir Mohamad in November 2003.

"I joined the party because I was confident in the party's struggles," he said.
"I have never insulted UMNO, I have never shamed UMNO, and I will never leave it," he said before choking up before the delegates.
"I've been through political hardships, but a test of our loyalty is only when we face struggles," he said.

Almost 2,500 delegates travelled from all over the country to gather for the annual congress.

IANS

Malaysian PM: No reforms will kill ruling party

Malaysian PM: No reforms will kill ruling party By VIJAY JOSHI Associated Press 2009-03-26 12:02 PM Fonts Size: E-Mail Th Printer-Friendly Malaysia's outgoing prime minister warned Thursday that the ruling party will perish if it continues with its old autocratic ways of silencing critics, jailing opponents and discriminating against minorities. "We must come to our senses," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a farewell speech to the annual congress of his United Malays National Organization party. "UMNO faces a life and death situation _ one that concerns our future and survival," he said, delivering a brutally honest assessment about the shortcomings blamed for the party's plunging popularity. Abdullah, who is the party president, will hand over the position to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak at the end of the congress on Saturday. Najib will also take over the prime minister's job from Abdullah next week in a carefully choreographed power transition aimed at reversing UMNO's reversing fortunes. UMNO is the centerpiece of the ruling National Front coalition that has governed Malaysia since 1957. But in last year's elections, the National Front failed to get a two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time in 40 years. It also ceded control of five of Malaysia's 13 states to the opposition. Much of the voter anger was directed at UMNO, whose leaders are widely perceived as corrupt, power-hungry and inefficient. The party is accused of subverting the judiciary, the police force and the bureaucracy. The Chinese and Indian minorities accuse UMNO of being a racist party that only looks after the interest of the majority Malays. But even many Malays say the party is only concerned about lining its pockets and is indifferent to the plight of the poor among the community. "UMNO's glory has dimmed ... Today, everything that UMNO does is seen as wrong, everything that UMNO says is believed to be untrue," said Abdullah. Najib made similar acknowledgments in his speech to open the congress on Tuesday, but Abdullah's warnings about a dire future were more strident. "Sadly, there are still those who feel that we do not need to pursue reforms. They believe that UMNO will regain its glory if we revert to the old ways ... by restricting the freedom of our citizens and by silencing their criticism," said Abdullah. "It is a path that I fear will hasten our demise." Abdullah also urged UMNO to "never adopt racial and religious positions that are extremist." "UMNO must never practice discrimination to the extent that non-Malays view it as a racist party. The rights of every citizen must always be protected, guaranteed and respected," he said. Abdullah took power in 2003 amid great hopes he would reform the country's politics, bureaucracy and judiciary after decades of iron-fisted rule by his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad. But Abdullah was largely ineffective during his 5 1/2 years in office, and he indicated in his speech he was shackled by conservatives in the party. Still, his speech puts a great burden on his successor Najib, who himself is tainted by allegations of corruption, which he denies. He is also accused of having links to the murder of a Mongolian woman. He denies having ever met her. Abdullah, however, expressed full support for Najib. "I believe that I am passing on the reins to a younger captain to steer the ship; a younger leader who has the maturity and experience to navigate the nation to greater heights," said Abdullah. Najib's immediate test would come later Thursday when his allies contest the post of party deputy president and vice presidents. Once he takes over as prime minister, Najib will have to contend with three by-elections seen as a referendum of his leadership. He also will have to deal with an economy facing an almost certain recession. Malaysia's central bank said Wednesday it expected exports _ the main pillar of the economy _ to fall by a quarter this year.

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