Malaysia's prime minister said his government will respond soon to allegations of mismanagement made by his influential predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad, in an acrimonious political duel that has raised fears of instability.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whom Mahathir hand-picked as his successor, said late on Monday that relevant ministries would provide explanations in detail.
"The answers can be put out but it has got to be done by the relevant ministries, not by me," he was quoted as saying by his assistant press secretary, Wan Esuriyanti Wan Ahmad.
Mahathir has thrown Malaysian politics into turmoil since accusing Abdullah of reversing his policies, including the scrapping of several large infrastructure projects. Chief among them was Abdullah's decision to abandon a plan to build a new bridge to Singapore, one of Mahathir's pet projects.
In his most explosive criticism yet, Mahathir told reporters last Wednesday that he may have made a mistake in choosing Abdullah as his successor when he retired in October 2003. He also said he had been "stabbed in the back" by many supporters, hinting that Abdullah was one of them.
Although Mahathir has no official say in the government, he retains considerable influence in the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party. There are concerns that if Mahathir's allegations resonate with many UMNO members, Abdullah's days in office could be numbered, leading to a split in the party and political chaos.
Business leaders have warned that such a situation would hurt investor confidence and damage the economy.
But on the surface, Abdullah appears to have the party's support.
Seventy-eight members of the parliament and senate met Abdullah on Monday to show their solidarity.
"We told the prime minister not to worry, that we are always with him because what's important is the country's political stability," said Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar, a member of parliament.
Lim Kit Siang, Malaysia's top opposition leader in parliament, urged ruling party lawmakers to seek a vote of confidence in Abdullah's leadership when the legislature convenes June 26.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At 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
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese