By Julia Yeow (dpa)
Kuala Lumpur - When Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi resigns Thursday, he would have left a lasting impression of an overwhelmed leader, struggling - but ultimately failing - to clean up a corrupt judiciary, police force and government.
Abdullah is due to seek an audience with the constitutional monarch, King Mizan Zainal Abidin, Thursday to convey his intention to relinquish his post as prime minister, paving the way for his deputy, Najib Razak, to take over.
Abdullah, 70, began his premiership on a high note after he led the ruling National Front coalition to an overwhelming victory in the 2004 general elections, held shortly after he took over leadership of the party from one of Asia's longest-serving leaders, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, in November 2003.
Abdullah's pledges of reform struck a chord with voters, most of whom perceived the country's government to be deeply entrenched in corruption.
Drawing on his image of an all-round nice guy, Abdullah seemed to usher in a new dawn of freedom of speech and political views, something almost unheard of during the reign of his predecessor.
'Abdullah opened up the space for democratic participation and discussion and created the confidence that alternative views are respected,' said Denison Jayasooria, a political analyst with the National University of Malaysia in Bangi, outside Kuala Lumpur.
'The climate of fear was lifted during Abdullah's period,' he said. 'He used all the right language of integrity and accountability, and voters responded to that.'
However, Abdullah's honeymoon began fading fast, and less than a year after the election, his critics and even early supporters began questioning the lack of any substantial action in fulfilling his pledges.
His legacy of liberalizing the country, from greater press freedom to public expression, had ultimately caused his fall from grace, said Michael Yeoh, head of the Asian Strategic and Leadership Institute think tank.
Jayasooria pointed to his failed promises. 'The reform he had verbally propagated became the same benchmark that he was tested by,' he said.
'The slogans were there [for change], but there was a big contradiction in the rhetoric which was delivered and what actually came out of it,' he said.
Five years after he took power, critics said nothing has changed within a corrupt and increasingly unpopular police force and government as well as in the judiciary, long seen to have lost its independence from the Mahathir era.
Condemnation of the government began mounting, especially on blogs and political websites, where government critics found an alternative to state-controlled print and electronic media to voice dissent.
'I think even Abdullah was surprised at how fast people expected these changes he had promised, and unfortunately, the government machinery, the institutions, were just not ready to change,' Jayasooria said.
In stark contrast to the 2004 elections, his National Front suffered unprecedented losses during March 2008 polls, which saw the opposition take control of five of Malaysia's 13 states and deny the government a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Abdullah was blamed for the losses, resulting in mounting pressure for him to resign. After his initial refusal to step down, Abdullah finally relented in announcing a transition of power to Najib.
Yeoh said the rise in the opposition's popularity as well as the mushrooming of alternative views via the internet were proof of Abdullah's tolerance for differing opinions.
'Abdullah had a more liberal view, and ultimately, it was that which had caused his downfall,' Yeoh said.
However, critics have pointed out that it was Abdullah's weakness, rather than an unwavering belief in freedom of speech, that allowed a rise in opposition to his government.
His detractors cited several cases of newspapers being served with warning notices for articles deemed to be damaging to the government, as well as the detention of several popular anti-government bloggers for allegedly writing seditious articles.
They said these cases pointed to a leader without strong principles and who ultimately would leave a legacy of setting the bar too high even for himself.
Lim Kit Siang, veteran leader of the opposition Democratic Action Party said Abdullah would be best remembered for failing to fulfill the nation's hopes.
'He promised much but failed to deliver on those promises,' Lim said. 'For that, he will go down in history as the greatest letdown.'
© Copyright 2007 by monstersandcritics.com. (Apr 1, 2009, 9:00 GMT)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment