04 November 2008

A TASTE OF WHAT IS TO COME IN A NAJIB ADMIN - malaysiakini

COMMENTARY
By Leslie Lau
Consultant Editor

NOV 4 — If there is a probation period for the job of Prime Minister of Malaysia it starts today for Datuk Seri Najib Razak when he delivers his speech to announce his plans on how to manage the economy through the global financial storm.
His opponents have already called him a puppet of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He has also been the target of some of the slimiest political attacks over the Internet.
In fact never has Malaysia seen an incoming leader having to fight off as many allegations of impropriety as Najib has been subjected to.
But in the next few months he will have to face a bigger challenge by starting to outline to Malaysians what kind of administration they can expect from a Najib Razak premiership.
That starts today when he announces the government's economic stimulus package.
While Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi remains the PM until next March, it is clear that Najib is in charge of handling the economy.
Today's speech in Parliament will be the first real barometer of his performance as Finance Minister, and in a broader way it will also be a measure of what to expect from Najib the PM.
How he manages the plan and reacts to the constantly evolving situation that is the global financial crisis will help Malaysians decide if they will be confident with him at the helm.
After an era of instability and uncertainties that was the hallmark of Abdullah's government, Malaysians are clamouring for strong leadership, for a steady hand.
But Najib will, of course, still face the same kind of challenges which Abdullah faced.
He will be judged on what he does to tackle corruption in the civil service.
He will be judged on how he handles race relations.
In 2003 Abdullah took over amid strong expectations and was considered by many Malaysians to be a breath of fresh air after the stifling oppression and micro-management that was Dr Mahathir's administration over more than two decades.
This helped him lead the Barisan Nasional to its best ever electoral performance in 2004. He managed to squander that huge mandate by failing to deliver on reforms.
For Najib, he faces the same challenges to deliver on some of the same reforms
But he will not have the kind of honeymoon period Abdullah enjoyed.
He is not even PM yet and his reputation has already endured quite a few blows to the body.
Najib will also have to contend with the biggest and strongest opposition in Parliament this country has ever seen.
And while he takes over officially in March, his era begins this evening when he lays on the table his plans to manage the Malaysian economy in the face of the worst financial crisis in history. -- TMI

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