KL minister slams Washington for 'hidden agenda'

KL minister slams Washington for 'hidden agenda'

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): A Malaysian minister slammed a U.S.
move on Sunday to congratulate opposition parties after the
recent elections here, claiming it proved the superpower had a
hidden agenda in the country.

The U.S. State Department has congratulated Malaysia on the
results of its national elections, won overwhelmingly by the
ruling National Front (BN) coalition, but also said the process
was neither free nor fair.

"This is direct intervention," International Trade and
Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz was reported as saying by the
state Bernama news agency at a post-election celebration.

She said Malaysians "never bother and never comment on U.S.
elections."

State Department spokesman James Rubin, speaking on Tuesday in
Washington, also voiced concerns ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim,
the opposition's jailed figurehead, had been "convicted in a
questionable proceeding."

After the results of the Nov. 29 general election were
announced, Rubin congratulated Anwar's wife, Azizah Ismail, for
winning a parliamentary seat previously held by her husband,
jailed for abuse of power in April.

Rafidah said Rubin's recognition opposition achievements in
the polls, and not the BN's victory with more than two-thirds
majority, aroused her suspicion.

"When they refuse to acknowledge BN's victory, which we
consider as a resounding win as it is not easy to get a two-
thirds majority, it only confirms our suspicion that they will
always have an interest in this country," she told reporters.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad extended his reign as Asia's
longest-serving elected leader with the BN victory, but the polls
also saw big gains by the Islamic opposition.

The Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) proved to be the biggest
winner from the fallout over the arrest and jailing of Anwar,
whose case divided the sympathies of the ethnic Malay majority.
PAS won 27 seats.

The National Justice Party (Keadilan), formed by Anwar's wife,
won only five seats.

Azizah hailed opposition gains, but blamed "scare tactics" by
pro-government media and the exclusion of 680,000 new voters from
the electoral roll for her party's failure to make a
breakthrough.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he will
announce his new cabinet as soon as possible but gave no precise
date for its formation.

"As soon as possible...can be in the next five days, 10 days
or 15 days," Mahathir was quoted by the national Bernama news
agency as saying late on Saturday at a news conference on the
resort island of Langkawi.

Mahathir, who won a fifth five-year mandate in Monday's snap
polls, has kept a low profile since the elections. He flew on
Wednesday to Langkawi off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia
to attend an air show and stayed until Sunday.

Mahathir's principal private secretary, Abdul Aziz Ismail,
said earlier the 73-year-old prime minister, in power since 1981
and Asia's longest serving elected leader, planned to announce
his new cabinet this week.

United National Malay Organization (UMNO) won 72 of the
Barisan Nasional's 148 seats. But UMNO's tally was down from 94
in the outgoing parliament.

A Malaysian opposition leader called on Sunday for a "leaner
and smarter" cabinet, with a smaller representation from
Mahathir's ruling party.

Democratic Action Party chairman Lim Kit Siang said the
previous 71-member cabinet, comprising 28 ministers, 31 deputy
ministers and 12 parliamentary secretaries, should be reduced to
65.

"Experience have shown that many ministers, deputy ministers
and parliamentary secretaries warm their seats and collect their
ministerial pay without doing any much work -- not even attending
parliament meetings to account for their responsibilities," he
said in a statement.

Lim warned of a greater Islamization as Mahathir's UMNO party
and PAS fought to woo dominant Malays in the hinterland. The PAS
made strong inroads in rural Malay hinterland and snatched
Terengganu from ruling BN in state elections.

Lim said in a statement there was a danger that "parliament in
the next five years will principally become the battleground
between UMNO and PAS for the hearts and minds of the Malays in
the Malay heartland, resulting in a spiral of Islamization".

Lim had served in parliament for 30 years before losing his
seat in last week's polls.