Word: najib
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Since coming into power in April, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has announced a slew of people-friendly policies. He made moves to liberalize the economy and improve simmering ethnic tensions by easing up on wealth ownership rules that had long-favored native Malays over the nation's significant Chinese and Indian minorities. The citizens those policies were aimed to please rewarded Najib with good numbers: In mid-July, public opinion polls showed the new PM with high approval ratings of 70%, compared to low ratings of 35% as deputy PM before taking office...
...August 1, all those cozy feelings came under a cloud after Najib's government sent out over 3,700 police personnel to employ their batons, tear gas and chemical-laced water cannons to disperse an estimated 20,000 people who had marched in the capital to demand the repeal of the longstanding Internal Security Act (ISA) security law that is often used against political opponents. Over 500 people were arrested - the biggest mass arrest since the city's race riots in 1969 - and over 50 people have been charged with taking part in an illegal assembly, a crime punishable with...
...There has been signs that the nation's honeymoon with its new leader was coming to an end. In July, a former government minister who defected to the opposition had told local media that Mr Najib is an "iron fist in a velvet glove." The mayhem on Saturday, his critics are now saying, are a harbinger of worse things to come. The brutal display of force unfolded in the middle of a Saturday afternoon in central Kuala Lumpur as protesters marched to Istana Negara palace to ask King Mizan Zainal Abidin - whose role in Malaysia today is largely ceremonial...
...Najib immediately defended this stringent call to order, saying the massive protest was orchestrated by his political rival, Anwar Ibrahim. Many have observed that Ibrahim, currently an MP who has weathered his own political storms in recent years, has been styling himself as the prime-minister-in waiting. "I have promised a review of the ISA," Najib told local media on Sunday. "They can protest in halls and stadiums but not on the streets." Police and government officials in Malaysia typically view street demonstrations as a challenge to their authority, whereas a gathering in a stadium or otherwise contained public...
...decide whether to run again for leader of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant party in the National Front. Traditionally, Malaysia's Prime Minister also serves as UMNO's head. If Abdullah forgoes his candidacy, then that decision will likely signal an early power shift to Najib. As the days count down, all Malaysians can do is hold their breath for a little while longer...