By Eileen Ng, AP
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia's new prime minister has received an early boost after the country's elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad rejoined the ruling party ahead of special elections this week, analysts said Sunday.
The elections for one parliamentary seat and two state assembly seats on Tuesday are the first major political test for Prime Minister Najib Razak since he took office Friday.
The polls are crucial because they are regarded as "a proxy for the popularity, confidence and faith in the future leadership of Najib," said Ramon Navaratnam, chairman of the Center of Public Policy Center think tank in Kuala Lumpur.
Najib's National Front coalition faces a tough fight from a resurgent opposition alliance but Mahathir's return to the United Malays National Organization -- the linchpin of the coalition -- will strengthen the government's campaign, he said.
"There is no doubt that Mahathir has still got strong support from within UMNO and also from lots of Malaysians," Navaratnam added.
Mahathir, who resigned as prime minister in 2003 after 22 years in power, quit the ruling coalition last May after clashing with his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He openly called for Abdullah's ouster, accusing him of inefficiency, corruption and nepotism.
The public spat severely destabilized the party. As a result of the party's disunity and growing public anger, the National Front suffered heavily in general elections last year. It failed to get a two-thirds majority, conceding 82 seats to the opposition in the 222-member Parliament and losing an unprecedented five states. It was the coalition's worst result in 51 years in power.
Abdullah accepted blame for the loss and resigned last week as part of a planned power transition spread over one year.
But there will be no honeymoon for the 55-year-old, British-educated Najib, who inherited a mammoth task of healing the country's politics, society and an economy heading for recession.
The opposition accuses Najib of corruption in a deal to buy French submarines when he was defense minister. It has also alleged he was linked to the killing of a Mongolian woman who was the estranged lover of a close friend. Najib has denied the allegations as "malicious lies."
In his first act after taking office, Najib freed 13 people being held under a law that allows indefinite detention and lifted a ban on two opposition newspapers.
On Saturday, Najib made a surprise two-hour walk through the city, chatting with hawkers and meeting with people from the ethnic Malay, Chinese and Indian communities.
The opposition, led by former Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim, dismissed Najib's moves as a political gimmick. Anwar claimed Saturday that hundreds of members of the People's Progressive Party, a tiny component of the ruling coalition, were crossing over to the opposition because of unhappiness with the government.
Denison Jayasooria, a researcher at the Institute of Ethnic Studies at the National University of Malaysia, said Tuesday's polls are important but a bigger headache will come in the next general elections in 2013.
Najib's pledges for wider reforms could win him support if he ensures that they are implemented well, he added.
Copyright © 1999 – 2009 The China Post. www.ChinaPost.com.tw
Monday, April 6, 2009
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