EGM Must Go On, Says Dr M

HULU LANGAT, April 3 (Bernama) -- Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Thursday reiterated his call for Umno to hold an extra-ordinary general meeting (EGM) for the well-being of the party as well as to discuss the party's poor performance during the last general election.

He said among others, the EGM could discuss amendments to the party constitution, including the matter of abolishing its nomination quota system, which would permit members to contest top party posts at the Annual General meeting (AGM) in December without having to secure the minimum nominations as stipulated at present.

"If we disregard Umno members views and arrogantly dismiss their demands it might lead to a total rejection of Umno especially if the opposition alliance show they can provide better governance. If something is not done, my fear is that Umno may lose out completely.

"If we believe in the well-being of the people and being transparent, there is nothing better we can do than to respond to their demands," he told reporters in response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Wednesday denying speculation that he would step down as prime minister.

Dr Mahathir had earlier launched the Rotary Youth Club Awards (RYCA) here Thursday.

Speculation on the matter arose following calls by some leaders, including Mahathir, that Abdullah should step down to assume responsibility for the Barisan Nasional's poor showing in the March 8 general election.

Mahathir said the EGM could be held if the majority of Umno's Supreme Council (MT) members supported it and could serve as a platform for members to voice their views.

He said that contrary to what people said about him, when he was prime minister he always gave people the opportunity to voice their views even if they were opposed to his.

"An example was when Datuk Musa Hitam (now Tun) quit as the deputy prime minister. I gave everyone a chance to speak on it and though I did not favour it, they proposed to send a delegation to meet him in London to try and persuade him to change his mind.

"When he (Musa) decided he wanted to become deputy president (of Umno), he got the post. I did not try to prevent it because it was the wish of the MT for him to take up the post, not mine," he said.

He did not deny there had been "yes men" during his time but said those who were vehemently against him never got thrown out of Umno or were stopped from speaking.

-- BERNAMA

Abdullah Tells Guan Eng To Be Careful In Making Statements

PUTRAJAYA, April 3 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Thursday advised Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to be careful in making statements as he is now a leader of a state government.

He should not be a populist, Abdullah told Bernama after he had a 30-minute meeting with Guan Eng, who is also DAP secretary-general, at his office here.

Abdullah said: "I told him that we have been observing closely what is happening in Penang. I advised him that he is now the leader of the government there and that he should be careful in making statements."

Referring to Guan Eng's recent comments on the New Economic Policy (NEP), the prime minister said he should not be making sweeping statements that equated the NEP with corruption.

Abdullah said he could not accept such a sweeping statement as it would cause anger and misunderstanding which would be hard to undo.

The prime minister asked Guan Eng to eradicate poverty and ensure that there was growth with equity in Penang.

Abdullah said he also told Lim that the federal government would honour all its commitments, including several big projects, as planned in Penang.

"These are not show-off or mega projects. These are projects with specific objectives based on the needs of the people," he said.

On the construction of the Second Penang Bridge, Abdullah said national oil corporation, Petronas, would not fund it because all its revenue was passed to the federal government for development expenditure and subsidies.

Abdullah said he also asked Lim to expedite the acquisition and alienation of land for the construction of the bridge.

Referring to the open tender system based on a level-playing field proposed by Guan Eng, Abdullah reiterated that it may not be fair to groups that were disadvantaged.

The prime minister stressed that the tender process must be equitable.

Meanwhile, Guan Eng told reporters after the meeting that the federal government had assured that all major projects in Penang, including the Second Bridge, would continue as scheduled.

"It is the hope of all parties involved that the bridge would be completed on the scheduled time frame which is Jan 1, 2011," he said.

Guan Eng said the Penang state government would do whatever it could to ensure that the construction of the bridge did not hit any glitch.

However, he said, the federal government would not fund the construction of the second bridge using funds from Petronas.

"I of course made that suggestion, even if cannot fully, at least partialy (utilise Petronas funds), but he (Abdullah) said it is not possible. Even though I feel that Petronas should fund it, he told me due to the subsidies and other commitments, it is not possible at the moment as much as they would like to.

"The Prime Minister has given his assurance that the project will not face any problems. I also handed over a letter to him outlining several proposals stressing the need for continued development of the state.

"We have also asked that the allocation for Penang by the federal government be increased to the original level. Penang got a reduced federal government allocation last year. I hope to get a favourable reply to the letter soon," he added.

Guan Eng said the meeting also discussed not only future projects "but also things of the past".

Guan Eng said he also raised a few political issues with Abdullah "but I don't want to mention about it here."

"On the New Economic Policy, we exchanged views and clarification of what was said and what was not said. Certain things are claimed to be said by me which was not said at all but certain things which I said was not published at all.

"But what is important is that we accept the new political situation. He is the PM of the country and I represent the people of Penang," he added.

Guan Eng also said the Penang state government wanted to have cordial working relations with the federal government so that all the development projects that have been planned could be continued for the people's benefit.

"The people have made the decision to support a new government in Penang and also support the federal government. It is crucial that we together fulfil the mandate given to continue with the projects identified," he said.

Guan Eng also hoped that the federal government ministries would maintain their previous relations with the state government and not discriminate the state government just because it was Opposition-based.

-- BERNAMA

I Will Not Resign As Prime Minister, Says Abdullah

PUTRAJAYA, April 2 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Wednesday denied speculations that he would step down as prime minister.

Abdullah reiterated his stand that he would not run away from his responsibility as the prime minister.

"I am here. I am here. I am here. They make all the speculations that I want to run away, I've resigned. Why should I resign.

"My Government has got a strong majority (although) not the two-thirds (majority), but very strong... that is the stand of support. Why I must run away from my entrusted responsibility," he told Bernama after a "four-eye" meeting with Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said at his office here.

Abdullah was asked to comment on the speculations.

Speculations on the matter arose following calls by some leaders, including his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, that Abdullah should step down to assume responsibility for the Barisan Nasional's poor showing in last month's general election.

The BN lost its long-held two-thirds majority in parliament after winning only 140 of the 222 parliamentary while the Opposition captured 82 seats.

The BN also lost control of Penang, Perak, Selangor and Kedah besides failing to regain Kelantan from PAS.

Abdullah's lack of public appearance lately also lent credence to the speculation.

-- BERNAMA

BN Late In Embracing 'New Media', Says Academician

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- The Barisan Nasional (BN) must admit that the coalition was too late in opening up to the "new media" that influenced voting patterns in the March 8 general election, said University Malaya (UM)'s Media Studies Department lecturer Dr Abu Hassan Hasbullah.

He said that a study he conducted titled 'The 12th Malaysian General Election: A study on theory, form and strategic concepts from media coverage analysis' before the election had indicated that some states would fall to the opposition due to the influence of new media on young voters.

"When I did a review (after the election), I found that 70 per cent of the results were influenced by the new media, especially blogs," he told reporters after the 'Forum on Media and Society in the 2008 General Election' held at UM Tuesday.

Abu Hassan said the data and conclusions reached by him were not used by the BN to repulse attacks through the new media but the opposition came for the findings, which involved 1,500 respondents from all states and 300 volunteers.

"We must be more open (to new ideas) as the opposition was already using the new media since 1998 with 45 bloggers, rising by 50 percent in 1999 and reaching 7,500 bloggers by the middle of 2004," he said.

Abu Hassan said as opposed to the BN having only two websites and one blog in 2004, the opposition had "thousands" of websites allied to the opposition.

He said the opposition had "indirectly trained" some bloggers to become politicians and who eventually won parliamentary seats.

"The older generation in the opposition like (DAP adviser) Lim Kit Siang had also used blogs as an information channel," he added.

Abu Hassan, who has been blogging since 1998, said it was not easy to win the trust of blog readers, adding that it could take up to nine years to achieve that.

He said if the BN did not take steps to embrace the new media there was a possibility that it will lose all in the next general election.

Abu Hassan said Malaysia now had the most bloggers after Europe and Indonesia as the younger generation placed greater importance on those who disseminated information faster rather than getting it from the traditional sources.

He said in his study, there was a case of an opposition candidate not being well known in his constituency but a day after he posted his profile on a blog, 70 percent of the residents in the area knew about him.

"As the younger generation is more inclined towards this new media, this generation also spreads blog content to parents and family quickly," he said.

A panelist at the forum, columnist Datuk Johan Jaffar, said the influence of blogs and the short-messaging system in the general election could not be denied.

"In Malaysia, people trust the Internet more than official sources... the (opposition) election campaign was conducted unconventionally and quietly," he said.

Johan said he hope it would be a "wake up call" for the government.



-- BERNAMA

Ruling Party Dissidents Launch Frontal Attack On Enfeebled Prime Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Ruling party dissidents in Malaysia launched a scathing attack Tuesday (1 Apr) on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, saying there is "something very wrong" with his leadership following disastrous election losses last month.

Led by former leader Mahathir Mohamad, about 2,000 party members gathered at a hotel conference room, in the most serious challenge to Abdullah's leadership since he took power in 2003.

The meeting's agenda was to analyze the unprecedented losses suffered by the ruling National Front coalition in the 8 Mar general elections. But it turned into a free-for-all session to bitterly criticize the 68-year-old prime minister, who is watching his grip on power weaken despite claiming to have the full support of his United Malays National Organization party.

It is the dominant component of the 14-party National Front.

"I call on him to resign. Anyone else would have done so already, but he is shameless," Mahathir said.

Mahathir accused Abdullah of failing to control rampant corruption, nepotism and cronyism at high levels, apparently referring to Abdullah's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, who is believed to wield enormous influence in the government.

Mahathir ruled Malaysia for 22 years before handing power over to Abdullah in 2003. Although hand-picked by Abdullah, Mahathir is now the prime minister's most vocal critic. His son Mukhriz, a senior party official, also urged Abdullah to resign.

"We have reached a crossroads. There is something very wrong with our leadership, which is Abdullah Ahmad Badawi," Mukhriz said to loud applause.

The open display of anger is a clear sign of the deep crisis in the National Front, which is reeling from its worst electoral performance ever. The coalition lost five of Malaysia's 13 states and its traditional two-thirds majority for the first time since 1969.

Mahathir said the message sent by the voters has not "reached the target. The target's eyes are not open. Maybe he has fallen asleep."

An Abdullah loyalist, Mohammed Khir Toyo, acknowledged the party needs reforms but said a leadership change was not necessary. He was bombarded with questions from the audience about whether Khairy had influence in choosing election candidates.

"There was some influence by some people," Mohammed Khir acknowledged, without naming Khairy, who has emerged as the focus of the party dissidents' ire and could become the reason for Abdullah's downfall.

The enfeebled Abdullah has postponed to December party elections that were set for August. Critics say he is trying to avoid losing a re-election for the post of party president. (By SEAN YOONG/ AP)