Give Abdullah 'as long as he needs'
Malaysiakini
Nov 13, 2006

Leaders of ruling party Umno used the start of an annual week-long summit today to voice strong support for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, following continued attacks by his predecessor.

Ahmad Darus, an Umno youth chief from Penang, told AFP Abdullah should remain in power for as long as the party required his leadership.

"Umno members support Abdullah. We hope he will continue to lead the party. Party members and Malaysians have confidence in him," he said.

"We want him to stay for the next term and the following term. Abdullah should remain in power as long as Umno wants him," he added.

Ahmad's remarks come after Abdullah, 66, yesterday vowed to remain in power despite ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's criticism that he was endangering the economy.

"I will not run. I am here to stay. I have a long-term plan," Abdullah said in an interview with the Malay-language Mingguan Malaysia.

Abdullah, who took over from Mahathir in October 2003, said he needed time to implement projects which were part of a national development plan to boost the economy.

Delivering the promises

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said there was growing feeling among the public and in Umno that Abdullah has failed to achieve his 2004 election promise to rid the country of corruption.

"I think there is no doubt on the ground and in Umno that the prime minister has failed to deliver in the past three years," he said.

"This is a landmark disaster under his leadership," he said, after Malaysia fell to 44th in the 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index from 39th last year, according to a recent Transparency International report.

Lim said Abdullah was facing a crisis of confidence.

"The result of the next general election will indicate if he can still lead Umno," he said. Malaysia must hold a general election before March 2009.

Umno, which has 3.2 million members, will begin today its annual week-long meeting, considered the biggest political gathering in the country. Umno is the lynchpin of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Despite voicing their support, Umno members were expected to demand Abdullah to do more for the economy.

Ahmad said Umno would urge Abdullah at the meeting to continue with government programmes aimed at lifting the socio-economic positions of Malays.
"The party is united behind Abdullah. We are confident he can deliver on the promises he has made," he added.

Not a temporary PM

Umno vice-president Muhyiddin Yassin said there was no such thing as "a temporary prime minister".

"As long as Abdullah is capable and in good health to perform his duty, the people should support him," he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper.

"If we look at the country's history, any prime minister would be given enough time to implement his policies," he added.

Mahathir, who ruled Umno for more than two decades, will be absent from the gathering after suffering a heart attack.

Umno was established in 1946 to protect the interests of the Malays, and strives to boost their economic status, which historically has lagged behind Malaysia's minority Chinese community.

Its power is derived from voters in rural areas, where the bulk of the Malay population lives.

Many of them are land owners, but remain impoverished despite relentless government efforts to improve their lot.