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KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has assured
Malaysians that he will stay in power, a report said Thursday, as
some in his ruling party pressed him to resign after heavy losses in
recent polls.
The opposition trounced Abdullah’s Barisan
Nasional coalition in the March 8 ballot, leading some within his
United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party to call for him to
step down.
“I am here. I am here. They speculate that I
want to run away. Why should I resign?” Abdullah was quoted as
saying by The Star newspaper. “My government has got a strong
majority [although] not the two-third majority.
A three-party opposition alliance led by former
deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim seized four states along the
country’s west coast in the vote, while the Islamic party PAS,
part of the alliance, kept control of Kelantan state.
Top UMNO party leaders, including deputy Prime
Minister Najib Razak, on Thursday rallied behind Abdullah and called
for an end to speculation that he could resign amid fears it could
hurt the economy.
-- AFP
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