Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has expressed fears of a potential power struggle in Malaysia's ruling party after he retires in October, a newspaper reported yesterday.
His comments come ahead of a crucial week for the ruling United Malays National Organization, which is set to hold its annual congress amid much debate over how politics will evolve following Mahathir's 22-year rule.
Mahathir, who is UMNO's president, warned that candidates might jostle for key party posts after he steps down, but no one would likely challenge his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who he has picked as his successor.
"What I'm afraid of is a [power] struggle," Mahathir said in an interview with the Utusan Malaysia newspaper. "I don't think [Abdullah] will be challenged, but there will be a struggle on other levels."
"The No. 2 position in UMNO has not been settled, so there will be a bit of a struggle for the No. 2 position," Mahathir was quoted as saying in a transcript of the interview published by the newspaper.
UMNO, which has formed the core of every government since independence from Britain in 1957, leads a coalition that includes parties representing minorities.
The contest for president and deputy president of UMNO is crucial because the incumbents traditionally hold the top two government posts. But party polls will not be held until after Mahathir retires, so Abdullah has a free hand to select a deputy before then.
Potential front-runners for the deputy's post include Defense Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin, the domestic trade minister.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was