Cabinet reshuffle seen for Malaysia after poll

Cabinet reshuffle seen for Malaysia after poll

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): At least three Malaysian cabinet
ministers will quit their posts to contest state assembly seats
in upcoming general elections, according to candidate lists
disclosed by political parties yesterday.

The lists, published by the national news agency Bernama ahead
of the official announcement today, point to a post-election
cabinet reshuffle, political analysts said.

Agriculture Minister Sanusi Junid is leaving parliament to
contest a state assembly seat in Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad's home state of Kedah. He is tipped to become chief
minister there after the elections.

Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Ghani Othman will run for in
the southern state of Johor Baru, fueling speculation he will be
it's next chief minister, or head of government.

The present chief minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, is expected to
join the federal cabinet after he was nominated to contest a
parliamentary seat in Johor Baru.

National Unity and Social Development Minister Napsiah Omar
will give up her cabinet post and place in parliament to contest
a seat in the Negri Sembilan state assembly.

Former Malacca chief minister Rahim Tamby Chik -- a once
rising star forced to quit all his posts last year over
allegations he had an affair with a schoolgirl -- was nominated
for nothing.

He is scheduled to go to trial on corruption charges shortly
after the elections.

Balloting is for 192 seats in an expanded parliament and 394
seats in 11 of Malaysia's 13 state assemblies.

The National Front, made up of 14 racially based parties, had
141 seats in the recently dissolved 180-seat parliament.

The main opposition group, the Democratic Action Party had 20
seats, with the rest held by smaller opposition parties.

Mahathir took to the campaign trail yesterday accusing an
Islamic fundamentalist party of being arrogant and not following
religious teachings.

"We are told not to be haughty and arrogant but these people,
who are supposedly guided by Islamic teachings and name their
group (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party), are in fact not following
religious teachings," Bernama quoted Mahathir as saying.

The Islamic party, known by its initials in Malay as PAS,
governs the northern state of Kelantan, Malaysia's only
opposition ruled state. PAS is trying to implement an Islamic
administration with harsh Islamic criminal laws.

Mahathir was speaking in a soccer stadium. Although his
government has outlawed election rallies, Mahathir has got around
the ban by speaking in his capacity as prime minister.

In Kuala Lumpur, the Federal Court yesterday quashed a two-
year jail sentence imposed on DAP member of parliament Wee Choo
Keong for contempt of court and instead fined him 7,000 ringgit
(US$2,800).

The outspoken Wee was found guilty of evading the service of
an injunction obtained by MBf Holdings which had sought to
restrain him from making allegations of impropriety about the
company.

DAP Secretary-General Lim Kit Siang told reporters that since
the conviction was for a civil contempt violation it should not
prevent Wee from standing for parliament.