Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation,
search
Dato' Seri
Abdullah Hj. Ahmad Badawi (born 26 November 1939) is a Malaysian
politician who has served as Prime Minister since 2003. He is also
the President of the United Malays National
Organisation (UMNO), the largest political party in Malaysia, and leads
the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition. He is
informally known as Pak Lah, 'Pak' meaning 'Uncle' while 'Lah' is
taken from his name 'Abdullah'. After Prime Minister Tun
Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad sacked Anwar
Ibrahim, he appointed Abdullah as Deputy Prime Minister. Abdullah
went on to succeed Mahathir as Prime Minister in 2003. In the 2004 general election, Abdullah
scored a significant victory. In the 2008 general election, the
Barisan Nasional won a slim majority of seats, thus Abdullah clung on as
Prime Minister. [edit] Early life
Abdullah Badawi was born in Kepala
Batas, Penang
to a prominent religious family. His father, Ahmad Badawi, was a prominent
religious figure and UMNO member. Badawi's paternal grandfather is Syeikh Abdullah Badawi Fahim, who was one of
the founding members of Hizbul
Muslimin, later known as PAS. Syeikh Abdullah Badawi Fahim was
also a famous nationalist and first mufti of Penang after
Independence.[1] His maternal grandfather, Ha Su-chiang (also known as
Hassan), was a Chinese Muslim who came from Sanya in Hainan.[2] Abdullah Badawi is a former student
of Bukit Mertajam High School. After failing to enrol
into his first choice course, economics, Badawi opted for a less to pursue a Bachelor
of Arts in Islamic Studies from the University of Malaya in 1964. [edit] Political career
After graduating from the
University of Malaya, he joined the Malaysian Administrative and Diplomatic
Corps (the formal term for the civil
service). He served as Director of Youth at the Ministry of Youth and
Sport as well as secretary of the National Emergency Council (MAGERAN). He
resigned in 1978 to become the member of parliament for his constituency of Kepala
Batas in northern Seberang Perai (which had also been represented by
his late father), which he still represents today. Early during Mahathir's tenure
as prime minister, a bitter dispute erupted within the ruling UMNO party and
it was divided into two camps, which were colloquially known as 'Team A'
comprising Mahathir loyalists, and 'Team B', which supported former Minister
of Finance Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and former Deputy
Prime Minister Musa Hitam. Mahathir prevailed, leading to the
exclusion of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah from the newly-established UMNO (Baru)
or New UMNO. Abdullah Badawi was a close supporter of his political mentor
Musa Hitam in Team B and as a result, he was sacked from his post of Minister
of Defence in the cabinet. He did not join Semangat 46 (Spirit 46) party
which was set up by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Semangat 46 is now defunct. When UMNO (Baru) was formed in
Feb 1988, the then UMNO President and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad
brought Abdullah Badawi into the protem committee of UMNO (Baru) as the Vice
President. In 1990, Abdullah Badawi retained his seat as Vice President.
During the Cabinet reshuffle in 1991, Mahathir brought Abdullah Badawi Ahmad
back into the Cabinet as Foreign Minister. He held this post until November
1999 when Syed Hamid Albar succeeded. Even though Abdullah
Badawi lost his Vice Presidency in the 1993 UMNO elections, he remained in
the Cabinet and was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. Prior to 1998, he
had also served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Minister of
Education, Minister of Defence, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He completed
his probation when he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
and Minister of Home Affairs following the dismissal of Anwar
Ibrahim. [edit] Premiership
[edit] First term
Since coming into power as
prime minister, Abdullah Badawi has promised to clamp down on corruption, thus empowering corruption
agencies and providing more avenues for the public to expose corrupt
practices. He has also arrested several public figures from the Mahathir era
for corruption, a move which was widely applauded by the public. He has
advocated an interpretation of Islam known as Islam
Hadhari, which advocates the intercompatibility between Islam and
economic and technological development. His administration has also been
emphasising a revival of the Malaysian agricultural sector. In the 2004 general election, Abdullah
Badawi's first as prime minister, he delivered a landslide victory for his
party's coalition Barisan Nasional (of which UMNO is the dominant
party) by winning 198 out of 220 seats in parliament and wrested control of
the Terengganu
state government from the Islamist opposition Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS), as well as coming
close to capturing the traditional PAS stronghold of Kelantan. The
victory was widely regarded as an approval of his vision of moderate Islam
over religious fundamentalism as well as support for his anti-corruption
policies. Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim, upon his release from prison in September 2004, publicly
credited Abdullah Badawi for not interfering with the court's overturning of
his sodomy
conviction. On 10 September 2004, Abdullah
Badawi, as Finance Minister, presented his maiden budget
that is seen by many as maintenance-oriented as opposed to the growth
policies emphasised by Mahathir. Abdullah Badawi is also known
for focusing on Malaysia's internal security after the increase in corruptive
practices, such as bribery, in the Law
enforcement in Malaysia.Since coming into power as prime minister,
Abdullah Badawi has clamped down on corruption, giving more power to
anti-corruption agencies and making it easier for the public to reveal
corrupt practices to the authorities. He has also arrested several
Mahathir-era cronies on charges of corruption, a move which is widely
applauded by the public. He has advocated an interpretation of Islam known as
Islam Hadhari, which maintains that Islam and economic and technological
development are not incompatible. Abdullah Badawi is unofficially
known as Pak Lah (Malay diminutive for "Uncle Abdullah").
The Malaysian government has issued a statement that the prime minister
should not be referred to by this nickname in official articles and in
newsprint; however, the nickname is still used informally. In fact, Abdullah
Badawi often uses that nickname to refer to himself during public gatherings. Abdullah Badawi continues to be
heavily involved in foreign policy making. He is the chairman of the Organisation of the Islamic
Conference since his premiership in 2003. As of 2005, he is the chairman
of the ASEAN. He also served as
chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement from October 2003 until
September 2006. [edit] Economic policies
Abdullah Badawi declared an end
to the economic legacy and grandiose projects of his predecessor, Mahathir
Mohamad, during the 57th UMNO General Assembly. He told delegates that he
would not pursue the economic strategies adopted two decades ago by Mahathir. He said that in the past,
wealth was generated not by innovation and creativity, but by foreign
investment, government contracts, and privatization. Agriculture
and biotechnology
are some of the highlighted issues in 9MP that the government believes such sectors
are still able to generate wealth for many Malaysians, especially those in
rural areas. In late 2005, Badawi
successfully led Malaysia into a historic free trade agreement with Japan enabling the
two countries to scrap tariffs on essentially all industrial goods and most
agricultural, forestry and fishery products within a decade.[3] Under the Abdullah Badawi
administration, the country is moving down to a value chain economy by
developing its inherent strengths in agriculture without losing its existing
manufacturing base.[4] However, Abdullah has been criticized as to his handling
of the sudden hikes in the price of petrol and electricity through the
restructuring of government subsidies, especially as it is detrimental to
Malaysia's position as a traditional exporter. [edit] 50 years of
nationhood
On 31 August 2007, Abdullah
Badawi shouted 'Merdeka!'
meaning 'Independence' during the midnight celebrations of Malaysia's 50
years of nationhood. The celebrations were held at Merdeka
Square, Kuala Lumpur, where thousands of people had
congregated. This was a symbolic gesture which emulated the actions of
Malaysia's first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, when the latter declared
independence from the British in 1957.[5] [edit] Second term
Abdullah Badawi won a second
term as Prime Minister by winning the 12th General Election, held in
March 2008, with a reduced majority. He also lost four additional states to
the opposition (Kedah,
Penang, Perak and Selangor).
Although his party, Barisan Nasional, suffered a major setback,
Abdullah Badawi vowed to fulfill the promises in his manifesto amid calls from
Mahathir, the opposition and even among UMNO members for him to resign.
However, his deputy, Najib Razak, and others in his party voiced
unreserved support for his leadership.[6] It took a while before open dissent started brewing at
grassroots levels, with petition and campaigns being launched to ask for his
resignation.[7] He was sworn in for a second
term as Prime Minister on 10 March 2008.[8]Badawi unveiled a streamlined 68-member Cabinet 18
March 2008, dropping half the ministers in his previous administration and
keeping the crucial finance portfolio for himself.[9] Abdullah is currently facing a
political crisis not only from the onslaught of the Opposition who has gained
much ground by taking the richest and most important states (Selangor and
Penang, which incidentally is the hometown of Abdullah Badawi). He is also
facing growing discontent from within his own ranks in the UMNO party. The
son of the former premier, Mukhriz
Mahathir, has openly called for him to step down. The UMNO Youth chief,
Hishammudin has not taken any action against Mukhriz and dismissed it as a
personal opinion. Abdullah is currently under
heavy pressure to step down after many within his UMNO party including former
Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohammad have openly asked him to take full
responsibility on the dismal performance during the 12th general election in
March 2008. In response to Mahathir's comment, Abdullah Badawi pointed out
that when the BN won a landslide victory in 2004, Mahathir then complained
that the government was too powerful and needed a stronger opposition voice. He has initiated two
significant changes in the system after the general election by declaring the
Anti Corruption Agency (ACA) to be fully independent and initiated judicial
reform proceedings in the aftermath of the V.K. Lingam
Royal Commission of Inquiry. Regarding the live telecast in Dewan
Rakyat (the first time since after the 12th General Election)[10], Abdullah said he was ashamed at what had transpired
in the Dewan Rakyat on 30 April 2008 (Wednesday) and agreed that live
telecast of the proceedings should be scrapped. He said what happened was just
“too much.” "I felt
ashamed if people watched television and saw what was happening in our Dewan.
In my heart, I also felt that all this happened because there was a live
broadcast at that time." said the Prime Minister. There was many ideas from the government
MPs and opposition MPs. Some MPs suggested that the live telecast should not
be scrapped to let the people know what was really happening in the Dewan
Rakyat and judge the MPs in conducting the people's voice in the parliament.
Lastly, the live telecast of the proceedings is to be continue to show that
there is transparency and to let the people know what the MPs are behaving
and debating. On 19 May 2008, the dispute
between Dr Mahathir and Abdullah reached a "shocking" stage when Dr
Mahathir, who had served as UMNO President for 22 years, announced that he
was quitting the party after having lost confidence in Abdullah Badawi's
leadership, and that he would only rejoin the party after Abdullah had
stepped down as UMNO President and Prime Minister. On 15 September 2008,
Abdullah's cabinet Minister in Prime Minister Department Senator Datuk Zaid
Ibrahim submitted his resignation letter to the Prime Minister. He tendered
his resignation as a protest to the government's action in detaining a
blogger, a member of parliament and a reporter under the Internal Security
Act. Abdullah later accepted his resignation. [edit] Transfer of Power
On 10 July 2008, Abdullah
announced he would step down as UMNO President and Prime Minister in June
2010. He announced that he would transfer power to Deputy Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, a move aimed at reducing the
level of political uncertainty in the country.[11] On 17 September, 2008 Prime
Minister Abdullah Badawi said he may hand over power to his deputy before the
2010 deadline he set earlier. On the same day he handed over his finance
ministry portfolio to his deputy Najib Razak. The changes were apparently aimed
at gradually handing over greater responsibilities to Najib as part of a
planned power transfer. [12] [13] On 8 October 2008, Abdullah Badawi announced that he
would step down in March 2009 paving the way for Deputy Prime Minister Najib
Razak to succeed him. However, he said the onus was on Najib to win party
elections set for March before he could take over.[14][15] [edit] Family
On 20 October 2005, Abdullah
Badawi's late wife, Endon Mahmood, died of breast cancer. Endon discovered
the disease in 2003 while her twin sister Noraini, who had earlier been
diagnosed with the same illness, died in January 2003. She received treatment
in the United States and returned to Malaysia 18
days before her death. She is buried at a Muslim cemetery, at Taman
Selatan, Precinct 20, Putrajaya. On 6 June 2007, the Prime
Minister's office announced Abdullah Badawi's marriage to Jeanne
Abdullah. On 9 June, a private ceremony was conducted at the Prime
Minister's residence, Seri Perdana and attended by close relatives. Jeanne
was formerly married to the younger brother of Abdullah Badawi's late wife.
She was also a manager at the Seri Perdana residential complex and has two
children from her previous marriage.[16] However, earlier in March that year, the premier
dismissed rumours about his plans to remarry even though the rumours have
been circulating more than a year. [edit] Controversies
American
president George W. Bush meets with Prime Minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia during Bush's visit to New
York City for the United Nations General Assembly,
18 September 2006. After moves to charge prominent
figures such as Eric Chia and the then Land and Co-operative Development
Minister, Kasitah Gaddam, with corruption, Abdullah Badawi's administration's
efforts to combat corruption allegedly became less transparent. It was noted
by the Economist that little progress has been made on curbing corruption.[17] Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been
criticized for allowing his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, to become unduly influential
in UMNO politics. [18] [edit] Mongolian
Murder Case
In the ongoing trial of the
murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu on October 19, 2006
there were implications that link the Prime Minister with interfering with
the trial. With his sedition trial due in October 2008, blogger activist Raja Petra Kamaruddin alleged in his
statutory declaration in which he said that the Prime Minister had been made
aware of a full report by military intelligence on the involvement of his
deputy premier’s family. Abdullah gave the intelligence report to his
son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, for safekeeping, according to Raja Petra’s
statement. [19] [edit] Concerns and
disputes by Mahathir Mohamad and UMNO
In 2005, it was alleged that
under Abdullah Badawi's administration, there had been a significant increase
in cases of cronyism
regarding the distribution of import permits for foreign-manufactured
vehicles. Then Prime Minister Mahathir had called for an investigation of the
issue. Later, Mahathir Mohamad criticized Abdullah for
cancelling a number of development projects that the former had started, such
as the construction of a bridge to replace the causeway linking Malaysia and Singapore.[20] Mahathir also alleged that Abdullah Badawi had
originally offered to permit the Republic of Singapore Air Force
to fly over Malaysian territory and sell sand to Singapore in exchange for an
agreement on constructing the bridge. Mahathir construed this as an instance
of "selling" Malaysian sovereignty.[citation needed] In 2006, Mahathir stepped up
his criticism against Abdullah Badawi, alleging that freedom of the press under Abdullah Badawi
had actually decreased. Mahathir also added that the media refused to publish
Mahathir's comments. He had accused Abdullah Badawi of reneging on promises
he made to Mahathir related to government policies, and in his strongest
criticism thus far, said in June 2006 that Abdullah Badawi had betrayed his
trust. Mahathir expressed regret in picking Abdullah Badawi as his successor
and said that he had originally intended for Abdullah Badawi's deputy, Najib
Tun Razak, to succeed him. Najib, who was on a state visit to India, immediately
expressed unreserved support for Abdullah Badawi. Mahathir announced his
resignation from UMNO on 19th May 2008 before 1,000 Kedah UMNO members in Alor Star
and urged other members to follow suit as a way of pressuring Abdullah Badawi
to step down. However, he resists to join any other party and would only
rejoin UMNO after Abdullah Badawi steps down. His departure raises the
possibility of large-scale desertions by loyalists, which could split the
party and bring down the government.[21] Following the sweeping election
victory of Anwar Ibrahim in the by-election in Permatang Pauh on
26 August, 2008, dissidents in Malaysia's ruling party demanded the prime
minister's resignation. Veteran government lawmaker Razaleigh
Hamzah, who wants to challenge Abdullah for the leadership of the UMNO
ruling party, said the results meant that "what scraps of credibility
(Abdullah) had left after March 8 are gone." Former Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad, who has slammed his successor's policies after handing over
power in 2003, said he believed many government supporters voted for Anwar so
that Abdullah would realize his leadership is no longer wanted.
"Abdullah must take responsibility and resign now," Mahathir said.
Government supporters vented their fury on Internet forums. Mykmu Net, a
popular Web site for ruling party members, published comments by readers who
said they hope Abdullah "will be quickly ousted" and that
Abdullah's "resignation will be the only way out."[22][23] [edit] Vote of no
confidence to Abdullah Badawi in Parliament
In June 2008, the Sabah Progressive Party, a member of the
14-party ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, said its two legislators in the
federal parliament will move or back a motion of no-confidence against
Abdullah. Malaysia has never experienced
a serious no-confidence vote before and it is unclear what is the next step
if, in the unlikely event, Abdullah loses the vote; whether a snap election
is held, or whether the King dissolves parliament, or whether a new leader is
given the opportunity to form a new government. No Malaysian Prime Minister
has ever faced a vote of no-confidence presented by a member of his own
coalition before. The Barisan Nasional has 140 lawmakers in the 222-member
Parliament, enough to defeat any vote against Abdullah who is also president
of the UMNO. Nevertheless, the motion was
rejected by the Speaker on the basis that there were no grounds for the
motion to be put forward. [edit] Urgent motion
of "no-confidence" in Prime Minister
On July 2008, Parliamentary
Opposition leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail submitted an urgent
motion of "no-confidence" in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,
on behalf of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs. The motion to the Speaker is
under Standing Order Article 18(1) and (2) requesting a debate without the
need of voting. She said the narrow victory of Barisan
Nasional (BN) in the March 2008 general election, the sudden fuel price
hike, the marginalisation of PR-led states and the alleged oppression of BN
MPs to voice up, had led to the confidence crisis against the Prime Minister. "The people's confidence
is now fretted because of the worsening situation in the police,
attorney-general, judiciary body, the crime rate and corruption." [edit] Anti-Corruption
Agency (ACA) report
On August 2008, an Umno veteran
lodged a complaint against party president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and deputy
president Najib Tun Razak with the Anti-Corruption Agency
(ACA) for alleged abuse of power. The complainant, former Umno youth exco
Mazlan Harun, claimed that both Abdullah and Najib had abused government
machineries and given cash and gifts to Umno members in a bid to sustain
their position in the party. The complaint was based on an open letter
written by Umno Petaling Jaya Selatan division chief Zahar Hashim and
addressed to the party's secretary general demanding that both Abdullah and
Najib be disciplined for allegedly abusing their power. Zahar called the act
as "political corruption of the highest order", and urged the ACA to
investigate all those involved in money politics in the Umno elections at all
levels. [24] [25] On 3 September, 2008 Datuk Mazlan Harun lodged a
second report with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) against Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for allegedly practising money politics to
win the support of Umno division heads nationwide. He claimed to have
physical evidence and witnesses to the allegations. Muar Umno chief Datuk
Kadar Shah Tun Sulaiman, who accompanied Datuk Mazlan claimed in relation to
the first ACA report, he has photos to prove the allegations and there are
several witnesses who are willing to come forward to substantiate what had
taken place. [26] [edit] ISA Detentions
Blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, Seputeh
member of parliament Teresa Kok and a Sin Chiew Daily News reporter were
arrested 12th September 2008 under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin
(Malaysia Today editor) was arrested under the Section 73(1) Internal
Security Act. Malaysia Sin Chew Daily News
senior reporter Tan Hoon Cheng was arrested on 12 September 2008 night under
the Internal Security Act over her report on alleged racist remarks by Datuk
Ahmad Ismail. Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said Tan's report has
caused problems and disunity among the people. Tan's report, in which she
quoted Ahmad as describing the Chinese community as squatters, landed the
then Bukit Bendera Umno division chief in trouble. Ahmad was alleged to have
made the remark at a ceramah in the run-up to the Permatang Pauh by-election.
The uproar which followed the report led to many calls for Ahmad to be
sanctioned and an apology from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Many quarters, including the Prime Minister, urged Ahmad to apologise.
However, Ahmad refused to do so, stating that his statement had been taken
out of context. He was eventually stripped of all posts and rights within
Umno for three years. Malaysian Member of Parliament
(Opposition), Teresa Kok who is also Selangor State Senior Executive
Councillor was detained under the ISA. Although it is unclear where Kok was
detained, she was last seen attending the China Guangdong-Malaysia Business
conference dinner at the Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. The arrests were confirmed by
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar. Teresa Kok and Tan
Hoon Cheng have since been released from detention. [edit] References
[edit] External links
Wikinews has
related news: Wikiquote
has a collection of quotations related to: Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Retrieved
from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_Ahmad_Badawi" Categories: Prime Ministers of Malaysia
| Deputy Prime Ministers of
Malaysia | Current national leaders | Living people | 1939 births | People from Penang | Malaysian Sunni Muslims | Malaysian people of mixed
descent Hidden
categories: Template computed age | All articles with
unsourced statements | Articles
with unsourced statements since February 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_Ahmad_Badawi www.huatuan.com/ab6/history/abdullah 20081021 Lim Hong See www.huatuan.com/hongsee |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
