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.