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View Point: Badawi is back-II |
| Abdullah's poor performance nationally was compounded by the fact that his own home state, the industrial heartland of Penang, fell to the opposition. Abdullah, who only four years ago led the coalition to a record election victory on a wave of hope for change, faced a bleak political future, his aides stunned but not willing to concede that he must step down. "Frankly, this is not really the time because a lot of component parties (of Barisan) have been decimated," one close aide said. "We have lost a few people and I think it's time to consolidate." Though Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's Barisan Nasional party won all the six seats, it lost in provincial polls in Penang and Kelantan. Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) President Vellu, who had served eight terms in Parliament and was Works Minister of Malaysia for long, was given the worst birthday gift on a day he turned 72. Another high-profile candidate who lost today was Family Welfare Minister Shahrizat, who was defeated by political novice Nurul Izza Anwar, daughter of former deputy premier and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
The opposition won in Kelantan as well as Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Penang. There are many people who have as many suspicions about Anwar as about the National Front's leaders. The streets of Kuala Lumpur were unusually quiet after the declaration of poll results, with many older Malaysians fearful of trouble. The last time the coalition suffered a heavy setback, in 1969, race riots erupted. "I am shocked. It feels Malaysia is a whole new country. It feels like it has been reborn, a 27-year-old civil engineer, said shopping in the capital. Some people are glad that Malaysia now had a strong opposition to press the government. "It's good to give some pressure for Barisan Nasional," they reason.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has been PM since 2003, resisted calls to resign. Abdullah urged calm, amid fears there may be violence in the wake of the result. Apsfrrty spokes-person, Khairy Jamaluddin, told reporters: "We suffered a lot of losses. But we are going to fight on. We are not going to quit. It is not the end of the world and we are going to get through this." Chinese and Indian ethnic minority voters deserted the National Front, in power since 1957.
Analysts blame ethnic tensions, crime and inflation for a drop in his government's popularity.
Dr Abdul Ruff Colachal |
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