The ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO)—the biggest party in a coalition of 12 political factions known as the National Front (BN)—has formed the government after every election since the Asian country attained its independence from Britain in 1957.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over as prime minister in October 2003, after the retirement of Mahathir Mohamad, who served for more than 22 years. In the March 2004 election, the National Front secured 198 of the 219 seats in the House of Representatives. Abdullah was sworn in as head of government with the biggest majority in three decades.
In the March 2008 ballot, the National Front won 140 seats in the legislature. The coalition’s share of the vote dropped drastically, from 64.4 per cent in 2004, to 50.27 per cent in 2008. According to Human Rights Watch, the most recent election was "grossly unfair" and marred by irregularities.
Last September, Abdullah announced he would step down in March 2009. Najib—who currently serves as deputy prime minister and finance minister—is set to take over as head of government.
On Feb. 18, Najib assured Malaysians that a global financial crisis will not hit the country too hard, saying, "With the implementation of the first and second stimulus packages, the government with the full support of all concerned, including the private sector and the people, is confident of avoiding the economic downturn."
Polling Data
Do you agree or disagree that Najib Razak would make a good prime minister?
Agree
41%
Disagree
36%
Not sure
23%
41%
Disagree
36%
Not sure
23%
Source: Merdeka Center for Opinion Research
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,018 Malaysian adults, conducted from Dec. 26, 2008, to Jan. 2, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Be succinct, constructive and relevant to the story. Please use encourage engaging, diverse and meaningful commentary. Comments falling outside the topic, including personal attacks and profanity are not permitted.