Malaysia swears in new Parliament

Tue, 18 May 2004 | Source: AP

MALAYSIA: Malaysia's new Parliament was sworn in on Monday with an overwhelming majority for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi following his election victory that obliterated the Islamic fundamentalist opposition.

Nevertheless, opposition legislators vowed not to be "intimidated", insisting they would speak up despite being outnumbered nearly 10 to one by ruling coalition lawmakers.

In a three-hour ceremony, more than 200 members of Parliament's lower house -- starting with Abdullah -- swore oaths to fulfill their responsibilities and uphold the constitution.

"The Malaysian Parliament is effective and systematic and will conduct itself according to the rule of law," said Mohamed Zahir Ismail, the speaker of the lower house. --AP

View JSON | Print