Final 2 years: PM vows to fight graft, reform judiciary
Malaysiakini.com
Jul 13, 2008

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has pledged to battle corruption and bolster the judiciary before handing power to his deputy Najib Razak in mid-2010.
MCPX

Abdullah also hopes the two-year transition will promote stability in Umno which suffered one of its worst electoral defeats in March.

umno special briefing abdullah ahmad badawi announce resignation date 100708 05"There will be less in-fighting, there will less campaigning amongst one another (for the leadership post)," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency late Saturday.

"In the two (coming) years as the prime minister, I will use the authority that I have in the best manner possible," he added, alluding to the country's corruption problems, and following a major government operation this week.

The Anti-Corruption Agency detained at least 20 people including two top immigration officials allegedly involved in a scam to provide visas to migrant workers in exchange for money.

Abdullah's speech followed his announcement on Thursday to quit but the decision has not silenced calls for a prompt change of leadership.

Progress has been slow

Since taking office in 2003, Abdullah, who is Umno president, has promised to crackdown on graft and strengthen the judiciary as part of his election promises.

But opposition leaders say progress has been slow, with few meaningful reforms.

The opposition has been demanding that the ACA report to parliament and not to Abdullah and it has been criticised for failing to secure high-level politically sensitive convictions.

Abdullah also said he will not try to hold on to power post mid-2010.

"I will never do that. I won't go to Najib and tell him: 'They (Umno members) like me now, can you allow me to stay on for another one year?'," he said.

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