Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has no plans to resign, his spokesman said today, despite leading the ruling coalition to its worst ever election results.
"He has no intention to step down," the premier's spokesman Kamal Khalid told AFP, although he admitted the premier was "surprised" by the scale of the setback.
"He has actually received quite a lot of support from senior party leaders and he is still on track to be sworn in tomorrow," he added.
Abdullah is facing growing calls to quit after the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition lost its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time since 1969 and conceded four states to the resurgent opposition.
"The PM was surprised by the losses on Saturday, but having said that, although the government has not received a two-thirds majority, it was very close and the BN can still form the government," his spokesman insisted.
Umno leaders pledge supportMeanwhile, senior Umno leaders have gathered at Abdullah's official residence in Putrajaya to pledge their support for him.
However Abdullah was savaged by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who handed over to Abdullah in 2003 after two decades leading Umno which dominates the coalition.
"My view is he has destroyed Umno, destroyed the BN and he has been responsible for this," Mahathir told reporters.
He suggested Abdullah should resign, and admitted he had made a mistake in selecting him as prime minister.
"I think he should accept responsibility for this. He should accept 100 percent responsibility," he said.
"I am sorry but I apparently made the wrong choice."
Read Pak Lah's Pledge: here and "Please Go" Protest: here
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4 comments:
One brings honour and dignity to the office he serves while other other brought his SIL to the office he served.
Don't expect much from the man who once said "saya pantang dicabar."
LIKE IT OR NOT, WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT HE WAS ELECTED BY FELLOWS M'SAINS TO LEAD THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION, SO BE IT.
ITS ALSO A FACT THAT TDM & THE UMNO WARLORDS KNEW UMNO IS AILING & CAN'T HEAL BY ITSELF.
BUT FOR THE FACT THAT TDM TO HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE & ASK THE PPL TO PRESSURE HIM TO TENDER HIS RESIGNATION IS THE MOST IRRESPONSIBLE THING TO DO.
FOR THIS IS UMNO PROBLEM,LET UMNO ITSELF DECIDE WHO THEY WANT FOR A PRESIDENT & AS THE NEXT PM, WHETHER THROUGH AN EGM OR DURING THEIR NEXT GENERAL MEETING. LET THEIR SUPREME COUNCIL HANDLE THEIR OWN PROBLEM.
WE ALREADY ACHIEVED OUR OBJECTIVE, TO DENY THE COALITION A 2/3 MAJORITY. OUR NEXT MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO ASSIST THE ELECTED BARISAN RAKYAT CANDIDATES TO FULFILL THEIR OBLIGATIONS/PROMISES TO THE PPL IN THOSE 5 STATES.
SO DON'T GET THE PPL INVOLVE WITH UMNO INTERNAL PROBLEM...ITS NOT OUR FIGHT. AND IF WE ARE NOT CAREFUL & GET SUCKED INTO THEIR DILEMMA... IT MIGHT LEAD TO A TERRIBLE SETBACK. FOR WE MIGHT NOT BE AWARE THERE COULD BE SOME UNSCRUPULOUS INDIVIDUALS WILL USE THIS INTERFERENCE BY THE PPL AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCITE RACIAL
DISCORD.
AFTER LAST NIGHT, WE FINALLY SAW A GLIMMER OF HOPE THAT WE... THE MALAYS, THE CHINESE, THE INDIANS & THE REST OF M'SIANS COULD UNITE & BE AS ONE... AS BANGSA MALAYSIA.
LET NO ONE UNDO WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR... OTHERWISE ALL OUR EFFORT & HARD WORK FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS WILL BE A WASTE... A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE WASTE.
LET US LEAVE THIS UMNO INTERNAL BICKERING TO THEMSELVES & JUST HELP OUR BROTHERS IN PKR, DAP, PAS TO CHART A BETTER FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDRENS & GRANDCHILDRENS.
- BEERANYONE
I agree with Anon 2:56:31PM
Let's be rational and not be too emotional.
The opposition has already wrest five states from the BN. This is a great victory for DAP, PAS and Keadilan.
Be focussed.
Let the opposiiton set up a new state government in the states they have won.
As for Pak Lah, let the Barisan Nasional component party sort it out among themselves. For that matter let UMNO memebers resolve the problem of leadership in their party. If they want Pak Lah, the weakling, to continue, so be it. Then they deserve the leader they choose.
There is a lot to be done and to be proven by the opposiiton - that they are not what the BN is.
Best of luck to the Opposition. I REALLY wish you all well.
Kenapa sekarang beliau berkata kekalahan BN yang teruk dengan kehilangan lima negeri kepada tangan Pembangkang mesti ditanggung oleh semua kerana itu adalah konsep BN.
Bukan kah pernah beliau berkata "I'm in control."
Dan kalau pada Pilihan Raya Umum2004 dia begitu angkuh menyatakan bahawa kerana dialah BN menang besar, kenapa kali ini dia begitu keberatan mengakui bahawa kerana dia jugalah BN menderita teruk?
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