KUALA LUMPUR, 24 March 2009: Vote with the rest of the country in mind, Umno delegates were told as the party prepares to elect a new leadership that will also form the country’s leadership. Outgoing Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told delegates this in a closed-door, pre-council meeting today attended by the party’s […]
Abdullah Badawi
Muhyiddin: People want real change
KUALA LUMPUR, 11 March 2009: Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said people want real change in the party and no longer want to hear that the party will change. “It is important to show Umno is ready to change and overcome weaknesses that may exist. The people are not interested to hear Umno will […]
Will the IPCMC haunt the EAIC?
By Chua Sue-Ann, Lam Jian Wyn and Sharon TanKUALA LUMPUR, 12 March 2009: The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) bill, unveiled for first reading in parliament yesterday, comes some three years after the proposal for the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). Criticised as being an inadequate alternative, it looks unlikely for the new commission to rid itself of the shadows of […]
Perak state assembly secretary suspended
IPOH, 2 March 2009: Perak state assembly Speaker V Sivakumar today announced that he was suspending the assembly’s secretary Abdullah Antong Sabri with immediate effect. Sivakumar also declared that the emergency sitting of the assembly, scheduled for tomorrow, would go ahead as planned. Speaking at a press conference at his law office here, Sivakumar said […]
EC: By-election for Batang Ai
PUTRAJAYA, 24 Feb 2009: There has to be a by-election for the Sarawak state assembly seat of Batang Ai following the death of assemblyperson Datuk Dublin Unting today. Election Commission (EC) chairperson Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said this was because the Sarawak state assembly was only over two years old and according to […]
Coming into his own
By Jacqueline Ann Surin and Shanon Shah(File pic by Danny Lim) ONCE it was clear that Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would exit as both prime minister and Umno president in March 2009, the favour that Khairy Jamaluddin presumably enjoyed as son-in-law must have evaporated quickly. But the changing political fortunes and shifting political equations could very well be a blessing […]
Mapping change
By Jacqueline Ann Surin and Shanon ShahKHAIRY Jamaluddin knows that he is still the underdog in the upcoming Umno Youth chief race. While Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir’s nominations rushed in from the very beginning, nominations for Khairy merely trickled. Even the nominations for former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo saw quicker action. That hasn’t stopped the 33-year-old in […]
Umno’s resistance to change
By Jacqueline Ann Surin and Shanon ShahWHO would be envious of Khairy Jamaluddin? Despite his meteoric rise within Umno and the doors that were presumably opened to him as the prime minister’s son-in-law, the changing political tide means the 33-year-old now has to swim against currents. And swim he does. With Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s exit as premier and Umno […]
Busy Parliament ahead
By Sharon Tan and Yong Min WeiKUALA LUMPUR: Members of Parliament (MPs) have their work cut out when they return on Monday (16 Feb 2009) for the first sitting of the second session in the 12th Parliament with bills, a mini-budget, and by-elections to keep them busy. The 20-day session ending on 19 March would begin with the opening by the […]
Abdullah receives green beret
MERSING, 13 Feb 2009: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was today accorded the honorary green beret by Army chief Gen Tan Sri Ismail Jamaluddin. The ceremony, steeped in military tradition, was held at the Special Operation Force (GGK) parade ground at the Iskandar Camp here. The GGK green beret was brought by several […]