Malaysian prime minister meets king to resign

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press, Kuala Lumpur | Thu, 04/02/2009 10:10 AM

Malaysia's prime minister met the constitutional monarch Thursday to submit his resignation before handing power to his deputy following 5 years of largely ineffectual rule.

Reporters and a small group of people gathered outside the national palace as Abdullah's motorcade drove in for an appoitment with the king, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin. Abdullah, 69, did not stop to speak to the media.

The government said that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak will be sworn in as the new prime minister on Friday in a carefully planned power transition that has been one year in making.

The king has already consented to Najib's appointment, said the government's chief secretary, Mohamad Sidek Hassan.

Abdullah, who took office in October 2003, was pressured to step down after the ruling National Front coalition suffered its worst results ever in general elections a year ago.

On Thursday, Malaysian newspapers paid polite tributes to Abdullah's time in office, noting his achievements but some columnists also wrote candidly about his failures.

"Thank You Pak Lah," said the headline of a special pullout in the New Straits Times, referring to Abdullah by his nickname.

Abdullah will be remembered for allowing more public freedoms than his predecessor Mahathi Mohamad, who was known for his semi-authoritarian rule during his 22 years in office. But Abdullah also failed to fulfill his promises to eradicate corruption, reform the judiciary and strengthen institutions such as the police and the civil service.

Conservatives in the ruling party also blame Abdullah's attempts to provide greater freedom of speech for the massive gains made by the opposition in the March 2008 general elections.

The ruling coalition, which has been in power since independence in 1957, failed to get a two-thirds majority for the first time in 40 years. It also lost control of an unprecedented five states.

"It is very difficult to say Abdullah has left behind a legacy of reforms," political analyst Khoo Kay Peng told The Associated Press. "He had the ambition (to introduce reforms) but he lacked political will and leadership control," said Khoo.

In his final interview before handing over power, Abdullah told editors of Malaysian media Tuesday that his time in office was marked by "missed opportunities," and that the electoral fiasco was his biggest regret.