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Malaysian PM defends record as he seeks new mandate ahead of polls
03-Feb-2008, International Herald Tribune

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi defended his record on battling corruption, crime and inflation as he seeks a new five-year mandate in general elections likely to be held next month.

Abdullah, whose popularity has dwindled since taking office in 2003, acknowledged in an interview with The Star newspaper that unhappiness among ethnic minority Indians would hurt support for his ruling coalition. The interview, conducted last week, was published Sunday.

Indians are demanding economic equality, saying they have suffered because of an affirmative action program for Malays who represent 60 percent of the country's 27 million people. In an unprecedented show of dissent, some 20,000 Indians held an anti-government demonstration in November.

Abdullah denied there is discrimination against Indians, who make up about 8 percent of the population.

"There are not just poor Indians, but also poor Chinese, Malays ... this is why eradicating poverty among Malaysians, and I stress the word Malaysians, has been on our agenda and remains one of our priorities," he said.

"More evident than before, we have corrected the social imbalance by providing better infrastructure, basic needs and quality of life. In both rural and urban areas, necessary steps have been taken to ensure there is steady growth regardless of race or religion," Abdullah said.

Elections, which are not due until next year, are widely expected to be held in March. Among the biggest challenges facing the government are inflation, rising crime, corruption and tensions in society because of the Indian unrest.

Given the problems, the National Coalition is unlikely to repeat its record 2004 election performance when it won 96 percent of parliamentary seats.

A recent survey by the independent think tank Merdeka Center showed Abdullah's approval rating slipped to an all-time low of 61 percent in December, from 91 percent in late 2004.

Abdullah said rising inflation and high fuel prices were a global phenomena and the government would be forced to cut fuel subsidies, which cost the treasury about 40 billion ringgit (US$12 billion; €8.7 billion) a year.

"It is convenient to blame the government, but people should really look at it as a global issue," he said.

Abdullah described corruption as a "long-term battle" that couldn't be eradicated in the five years since he took power.

Still, corruption-related arrests have increased by more than 70 percent from 2001 to 2006, while conviction rates for corruption cases jumped from 50 percent in 2004 to about 75 percent in 2006, he said.

"The point is that fighting graft is not about making headlines or expecting quick results, but rather having the stamina for a long-drawn fight," he said.

To tackle crime the government will recruit 60,000 more police personnel over the next five years and install closed circuit televisions at public places, he said.