Description
Sufficient time has elapsed in Premier Abdullah Badawi's stewardship of the nation to convince us that we are not going to have the kind of reforms Abdullah has promised us. Remember the early euphoria of a reformist leadership that promised to undo the excesses and decadence of Mahathir's autocracy - stamping
out rampant corruption, bringing in efficient government and restoring democratic practices? The early months of Abdullah's reign were marked by heartening and eloquent rhetoric but void of concrete actions.
Just as skepticism set in, the nation's hopes for reforms were suddenly rekindled when a series of high dramas were enacted in February 2004 to showcase the resolve of Abdullah's administration to declare war on corruption. In quick successions, the supposed culprit of the long running scandal of Perwaja Steel was brought to trial, and an obscure cabinet minister was charged for corruption. This was followed by an announcement of pending prosecutions on another eighteen corrupt VIPS.
As optimism rose on Abdullah's reform agenda following these sensational developments, he called a snap election in March 2004 and romped home with an unprecedented electoral majority.
In retrospect, Abdullah electoral victory must be about the high point of his tenuous role as a reformist leader; for thereafter, it has been downhill all the way with a series of disappointments that increasingly demonstrate the implausibility of Abdullah fulfilling his reform promises.
To start with, the election itself was one of the dirtiest and most unfair against the opposition. Then, in a move that further reversed his reform promises, Abdullah appointed an over-bloated cabinet that was stuffed with tainted deadwood from the previous administration. Soon after, the eighteen corrupt VIPs who were earmarked for prosecution suddenly evaporated into thin air for no apparent reason.
ISBN: 9789832535751
