They call him "Mr. Nice Guy," but Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will need more than charm to fill the big shoes left by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad when he puts on his retirement slippers Friday.
Within a year, probably much sooner, he will face an election, with his main opposition coming from hardline Islamists bent on turning multicultural, economically vibrant Malaysia into an Islamic state.
Mahathir, 77, has been in power for so long that nobody, in the absence of opinion polls, can be quite sure how his departure will affect his United Malays National Organization (UMNO), lynchpin of the ruling National Coalition.
Abdullah, 63, has not made it any easier, refusing to be drawn on how he might try to change Malaysia when he takes over. He has pledged to continue his mentor's policies, but there is no doubt the style will be different.
Mahathir is outspoken and confrontational while Abdullah is seen as quieter, a team player.
Analysts say Abdullah, who has no experience in economic management, is unlikely to change any of Mahathir's business policies which have brought dramatic growth to the country.
His regional foreign policy is likely to focus on enhancing political ties and trade with Southeast Asian nations and Japan, and it is possible he will be less critical of Australia, one of Mahathir's favorite whipping boys.
On the wider international stage he will probably find major trading partners in the US and the EU delighted to have a less prickly customer to deal with.
Domestically, analysts hold out little hope for improvement on human rights issues, for which Mahathir was regularly criticized.
As home minister, a title he held along with deputy prime minister, Abdullah has over the past two years approved the detention without trial of scores of alleged Muslim militants, many suspected of membership in the regional Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network.
Abdullah's major legitimate political challenge will come from the opposition Islamic Party (PAS), a hardline Muslim group which wants to introduce Shariah criminal law, complete with amputations for theft and stoning to death for adultery.
Abdullah has strong religious credentials, having majored in Islamic studies at University Malaya, but this is unlikely to make much impression on the country's more militant Muslims as long as he upholds the secular nature of the Constitution.
Malaysia is sometimes described as the world's most economically successful Islamic state, and Abdullah made it clear in an interview that he intends to keep it that way.
The biggest picture on the wall of his office seemed designed to reinforce Abdullah's reputation as "Mr. Nice Guy" -- showing him bowing low to kiss his mother's hand on the day he was appointed deputy prime minister in 1999.
But in the waiting room visitors were faced with a different image -- Abdullah with clenched fist raised in classic politician's pose.
Whether the kiss or the fist will dominate when he takes over remains to be seen.
Abdullah is candid about the problems he faces in a multicultural society with radical Islamists on one side and an economically-powerful Chinese minority on the other.
Beneath the picture of his humility before his mother is a large tank containing a single flowerhorn fish, a Chinese symbol of good luck.
It is not clear whether it is there simply for its beauty, as a mark of respect to Malaysia's multiculturalism, or as an acknowledgement that he is going to need a bit of luck to step successfully into Mahathir's shoes.
Australia has announced an agreement with the tiny Pacific nation Nauru enabling it to send hundreds of immigrants to the barren island. The deal affects more than 220 immigrants in Australia, including some convicted of serious crimes. Australian Minister of Home Affairs Tony Burke signed the memorandum of understanding on a visit to Nauru, the government said in a statement on Friday. “It contains undertakings for the proper treatment and long-term residence of people who have no legal right to stay in Australia, to be received in Nauru,” it said. “Australia will provide funding to underpin this arrangement and support Nauru’s long-term economic
‘NEO-NAZIS’: A minister described the rally as ‘spreading hate’ and ‘dividing our communities,’ adding that it had been organized and promoted by far-right groups Thousands of Australians joined anti-immigration rallies across the country yesterday that the center-left government condemned, saying they sought to spread hate and were linked to neo-Nazis. “March for Australia” rallies against immigration were held in Sydney, and other state capitals and regional centers, according to the group’s Web site. “Mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together,” the Web site said. The group posted on X on Saturday that the rallies aimed to do “what the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration.” The group also said it was concerned about culture,
ANGER: Unrest worsened after a taxi driver was killed by a police vehicle on Thursday, as protesters set alight government buildings across the nation Protests worsened overnight across major cities of Indonesia, far beyond the capital, Jakarta, as demonstrators defied Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s call for calm. The most serious unrest was seen in the eastern city of Makassar, while protests also unfolded in Bandung, Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta. By yesterday morning, crowds had dispersed in Jakarta. Troops patrolled the streets with tactical vehicles and helped civilians clear trash, although smoke was still rising in various protest sites. Three people died and five were injured in Makassar when protesters set fire to the regional parliament building during a plenary session on Friday evening, according to
STILL AFLOAT: Satellite images show that a Chinese ship damaged in a collision earlier this month was under repair on Hainan, but Beijing has not commented on the incident Australia, Canada and the Philippines on Wednesday deployed three warships and aircraft for drills against simulated aerial threats off a disputed South China Sea shoal where Chinese forces have used risky maneuvers to try to drive away Manila’s aircraft and ships. The Philippine military said the naval drills east of Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) were concluded safely, and it did not mention any encounter with China’s coast guard, navy or suspected militia ships, which have been closely guarding the uninhabited fishing atoll off northwestern Philippines for years. Chinese officials did not immediately issue any comment on the naval drills, but they
RSS