Mahathir begins forming his new government
Mahathir begins forming his new government
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has started forming his new government after a landslide victory in Malaysia's ninth polls and will announce the full line-up next week, officials said yesterday.
Government heads have already been chosen for all 10 of the country's 11 states won by Mahathir's National Front in the general elections on Tuesday and the federal cabinet will be unveiled next week with at least five new faces, officials said.
Leading the state appointments are Koh Tsu Koon, who has been retained as chief minister of northern Penang, and former youth and sports minister Ghani Othman, who has been made chief minister of southern Johore.
Penang and Johore are two of the wealthiest states in Malaysia with thriving industries that contribute heavily to the nation's booming economy, the biggest plus point for Mahathir in the polls.
Officials said the two states had been star performers in the elections, with Penang defying a mighty takeover bid by the opposition Democratic Action Party, and Johore denying a single seat to rivals of the National Front.
Mahathir has also confirmed the reappointment of Mohamed Zin Abdul Ghani as chief minister of southwestern Malacca and Wan Mokhtar Ahmad as head of eastern Trengganu, officials said.
They said heads for the five other states won by the National Front will be announced by next week with some changes expected in the leadership of one or two states.
The fundamentalist opposition Parti Islam is, meanwhile, set to form government in northeastern Kelantan, after beating Mahathir's party for the second consecutive time for control of the state.
Officials said five new cabinet ministers were expected to be announced next week to fill vacant positions in the health, agriculture, public enterprises, youth and sports and national unity sectors.
Mahathir said on Wednesday he had no plans of expanding the cabinet for the sake of political favors.
Sabah
Meanwhile, in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia's Christian-based opposition, the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), yesterday alleged "phantom voters" run by the government spoilt its chances in polls this week in the eastern Sabah state it once ruled.
The PBS won eight parliament seats in Sabah compared to the ruling National Front's 12 in national elections which ended Tuesday and the opposition party blamed the weaker showing on Filipinos, Pakistanis and Indonesians brought in to vote for the government.
"The people of Sabah are already beginning to lose confidence in finding fairness and justice in the exercise of the whole election system in Sabah," PBS vice-president Malek Chua said in a statement released in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah's capital.
Chua alleged Sabah authorities issued Filipino, Pakistani and Indian citizens fake Malaysian identity cards and other documents to register them as legal voters and "busloads of aliens" were brought into polling stations to cast ballots.
PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan, a former ally and now foe of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, charged that policemen stationed at polling stations in the state did not stop the aliens from queuing up and voting.
Kitingan also claimed that 30 PBS supporters from four villages were "drugged" by National Front officials on the eve of polling to prevent them from voting.