Ahmad Badawi takes office amid warnings<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysia's new deputy prime minister
\nAbdullah Ahmad Badawi took office on Monday amidst warnings from
\nhis detained predecessor Anwar Ibrahim that his credibility would
\nbe at stake.<\/p>\n
Abdullah, 59, who also took over the home ministry from Prime
\nMinister Mahathir Mohamad amid an outcry over the beating of
\nAnwar in police custody, said the ministry would strive to adopt
\na \"people-friendly administration,\" Bernama news agency reported.<\/p>\n
Abdullah met Mahathir for half-an-hour, during which he was
\nbriefed about his new duties, it added.<\/p>\n
Mahathir last week named Daim Zainuddin to take Anwar's other
\nposition as finance minister and Anwar, who was sacked as leader-
\nin-waiting last September and later detained, had warnings for
\nboth men.<\/p>\n
Anwar welcomed Abdullah's appointment but warned in a
\nstatement that \"his credibility would be questioned if he just
\nobeyed the prime minister.<\/p>\n
\"The public would certainly want to know his views on the
\nextravagant and the mega projects, corruption and the use of
\nnational wealth... the blatant use of force and oppressing the
\npeople,\" Anwar said.<\/p>\n
Anwar said Mahathir's decision to relinquish the home ministry
\nwas appropriate.<\/p>\n
\"The ministry and the police have been used to protect his
\npersonal interest. The image of the police force that had been
\nadversely tarnished as a result of his personal directives and
\nthe high-handed actions of then IGP Rahim Noor needs to be
\nrectified,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Anwar called Mahathir's choice of finance minister \"shocking\"
\nand accused his successor of rampant corruption and cronyism.<\/p>\n
\"The appointment of Tun Daim Zainuddin as minister of finance
\nis shocking,\" Anwar said in a statement read by his wife, Azizah
\nIsmail. \"Tun\" is a Malaysian title of respect.<\/p>\n
Daim was made Mahathir's chief economics aide last year to
\nhelp revive Malaysia's flagging economy. He was finance minister
\nin 1984 but resigned several years later to pursue business
\ninterests.<\/p>\n
\"Mahathir told me that he accepted Tun Daim's resignation
\nbecause there were too many allegations of corruption against
\nhim, that he had amassed wealth when he was minister of finance,\"
\nAnwar said.<\/p>\n
\"I would like to reiterate my earlier challenge to expose all
\napproved shares and contracts under Tun Daim and myself as
\nminister of finance,\" said Anwar, who insists his own political
\ncareer has been free of corruption.<\/p>\n
\"Mahathir had to depend on Tun Daim to assist his family
\nmembers or their cronies,\" said Anwar, alleging that Daim was not
\nappointed on merits alone.<\/p>\n
Daim's spokesman could not be reached for reaction to Anwar's
\ncomments. Anwar also questioned Daim's ethics, given the
\nbusinessman-turned-finance minister's role in the central bank,
\nBank Negara.<\/p>\n
Opposition MP Lim Kit Siang, who heads the Democratic Action
\nMP, urged Abdullah to \"act decisively\" to establish an
\nindependent inquiry into the assault of Anwar under police
\ncustody.<\/p>\n
Lim also called on the new deputy leader to \"loosen up and
\nremove the press controls in the country to usher in an era of
\nfree, fair and responsible press in Malaysia.\"<\/p>\n
He appealed to Abdullah to initiate prison reforms to ensure
\nthat all prisoners were treated well and to improve the salaries
\nand conditions of prison service.<\/p>\n
\"Abdullah must ensure that he could stamp a new character and
\npersonality on the various departments in the home ministry,
\nrather than allow them to stamp their character and personality
\non him,\" Lim said.<\/p>\n
Abdullah, who was the foreign minister since 1991, is known as
\na staunch Mahathir loyalist and a well-liked figure in diplomatic
\ncircles.<\/p>",
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