ID :
23292
Wed, 10/08/2008 - 20:36
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/23292
The shortlink copeid
UPDATE ABDULLAH WILL STEP DOWN AS M`SIAN PM IN MARCH NEXT YEAR
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi will not defend his post as Umno president and will step down as Prime
Minister in March next year.
Abdullah announced that he would not be defending the president's post at
the party's general assembly in March after chairing the Barisan
Nasional (National Front or BN) supreme council meeting at the Putra World Trade
Centre here Wednesday.
He said he would also relinquish the premiership of the country to his
deputy Najib Razak after the assembly.
Under the country's system, the Umno president is traditionally also the
prime minister and BN chairman.
This means that the transition of power to Najib, who is also Umno Deputy
President, which was previously fixed for June 2010, will take place more than a
year earlier.
Umno or United Malays National Organisation is Malaysia's largest political
party and a founding member of the ruling BN coalition.
The Umno supreme council, at a special meeting recently, decided to
postpone the party's general assembly, originally scheduled for December, to
March next
year to speed up the power transition process.
Abdullah said in all his years of public service spanning over 45 years, he
had always been guided by his conscience.
"I have always placed the interest of the nation above all else. It is
with this in mind that I announce that I will not stand for the presidency of
Umno. I
do not want a divided party and governing coalition but one that is united and
harmonious.
"A united Barisan Nasional is vital for the country to face the global
challenges and for Malaysia to become a fully developed nation, with prosperity
and fairness for all."
Abdullah said there were several initiatives that he intended to see
through before he left office.
"These initiatives are important because they are necessary to move the
country forward, and are also needed to regain the country's competitiveness,"
he added.
Elaborating on his plans before stepping down, Abdullah said he fully
intended to see through his mission and hoped that his successor would carry on
this agenda.
"I want to hand over to my successor a Malaysia that is capable of
weathering the challenges of a dangerous global economy, a Malaysia not of rich
and poor, of young and old or of the city or the kampung, not of South and North
and not of one religion or another, but of unity and harmony.
"This is not the time for infighting and narrow politics but for greatness,
unity and cooperation," he said.
He also promised that in the next five months he would continue reform of
the judiciary by setting up an independent Judicial Appointments Commission,
which would propose judicial appointments in a transparent and merit-based
manner.
Abdullah, in asking all Malaysians to unite and join him towards making
Malaysia a better place, said that by end of the year he would table the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Bill in Parliament as a continued effort to
eradicate corruption effectively.
He also intended to complete the establishment of a Special Complaints
Commission to enhance the integrity and effectiveness of enforcement agencies,
as part of various efforts to reform and strengthen Malaysian
institutions.
He also promised to set up a commission to promote national integration of
the various races in the country.
Abdulah said he would like to see the government and Barisan Nasional
renew their commitment towards building a united and harmonious nation.
"Society has seen an alarming decline in inter-racial and inter-religious
relations. Various issues have cropped up which threaten to tear the very fabric
of Malaysian life.
"We need to tackle these issues head-on, through dialogue; deal with the
issues constructively and even-handedly; ensure greater clarity and certainty
for the people; and focus on the point that will unite us, rather than the
points that divide us."
In this regard, he said he would convene a BN Convention early next year
as a long-term effort to kick-start and continue towards this
initiative.
On the economy, Abdullah said he had long spoken about the need to ensure
that the fruits of growth would be equally distributed.
In the 2009 Budget he said he had explained the government's comitment to
strengthening and enlarging the social safety net.
"We will speed up work on this front to help poor and disadvantaged
Malaysians, regardless of background, race or religion. I will also work to
ensure that tangible results can begin to be enjoyed in Iskandar (Malaysia) as
well as the development corridor initiatives around the
country," he said.
Abdullah said that despite the country's successful track record for the
past few years, he had firmly believed that Malaysia was standing at an historic
crossroads.
"We must reform some element of our nation, we must evolve and mature, or
we risk losing all that we have gained over 50 years," he said.
He stressed that Malaysians needed to be united more than ever before
during this time of reform and transformation.
Badawi will not defend his post as Umno president and will step down as Prime
Minister in March next year.
Abdullah announced that he would not be defending the president's post at
the party's general assembly in March after chairing the Barisan
Nasional (National Front or BN) supreme council meeting at the Putra World Trade
Centre here Wednesday.
He said he would also relinquish the premiership of the country to his
deputy Najib Razak after the assembly.
Under the country's system, the Umno president is traditionally also the
prime minister and BN chairman.
This means that the transition of power to Najib, who is also Umno Deputy
President, which was previously fixed for June 2010, will take place more than a
year earlier.
Umno or United Malays National Organisation is Malaysia's largest political
party and a founding member of the ruling BN coalition.
The Umno supreme council, at a special meeting recently, decided to
postpone the party's general assembly, originally scheduled for December, to
March next
year to speed up the power transition process.
Abdullah said in all his years of public service spanning over 45 years, he
had always been guided by his conscience.
"I have always placed the interest of the nation above all else. It is
with this in mind that I announce that I will not stand for the presidency of
Umno. I
do not want a divided party and governing coalition but one that is united and
harmonious.
"A united Barisan Nasional is vital for the country to face the global
challenges and for Malaysia to become a fully developed nation, with prosperity
and fairness for all."
Abdullah said there were several initiatives that he intended to see
through before he left office.
"These initiatives are important because they are necessary to move the
country forward, and are also needed to regain the country's competitiveness,"
he added.
Elaborating on his plans before stepping down, Abdullah said he fully
intended to see through his mission and hoped that his successor would carry on
this agenda.
"I want to hand over to my successor a Malaysia that is capable of
weathering the challenges of a dangerous global economy, a Malaysia not of rich
and poor, of young and old or of the city or the kampung, not of South and North
and not of one religion or another, but of unity and harmony.
"This is not the time for infighting and narrow politics but for greatness,
unity and cooperation," he said.
He also promised that in the next five months he would continue reform of
the judiciary by setting up an independent Judicial Appointments Commission,
which would propose judicial appointments in a transparent and merit-based
manner.
Abdullah, in asking all Malaysians to unite and join him towards making
Malaysia a better place, said that by end of the year he would table the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Bill in Parliament as a continued effort to
eradicate corruption effectively.
He also intended to complete the establishment of a Special Complaints
Commission to enhance the integrity and effectiveness of enforcement agencies,
as part of various efforts to reform and strengthen Malaysian
institutions.
He also promised to set up a commission to promote national integration of
the various races in the country.
Abdulah said he would like to see the government and Barisan Nasional
renew their commitment towards building a united and harmonious nation.
"Society has seen an alarming decline in inter-racial and inter-religious
relations. Various issues have cropped up which threaten to tear the very fabric
of Malaysian life.
"We need to tackle these issues head-on, through dialogue; deal with the
issues constructively and even-handedly; ensure greater clarity and certainty
for the people; and focus on the point that will unite us, rather than the
points that divide us."
In this regard, he said he would convene a BN Convention early next year
as a long-term effort to kick-start and continue towards this
initiative.
On the economy, Abdullah said he had long spoken about the need to ensure
that the fruits of growth would be equally distributed.
In the 2009 Budget he said he had explained the government's comitment to
strengthening and enlarging the social safety net.
"We will speed up work on this front to help poor and disadvantaged
Malaysians, regardless of background, race or religion. I will also work to
ensure that tangible results can begin to be enjoyed in Iskandar (Malaysia) as
well as the development corridor initiatives around the
country," he said.
Abdullah said that despite the country's successful track record for the
past few years, he had firmly believed that Malaysia was standing at an historic
crossroads.
"We must reform some element of our nation, we must evolve and mature, or
we risk losing all that we have gained over 50 years," he said.
He stressed that Malaysians needed to be united more than ever before
during this time of reform and transformation.
