Expectations of Abdullah high ahead of takeover as Malaysian PM
By Zainudin Afandi, Channel NewsAsia

KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be sworn in as the country's fifth premier this Friday, taking over the reins from Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Key questions on the lips of many Malaysians include whether Mr Abdullah can take Malaysia to new heights, building on the substantial progress credited to his predecessor.

Expectations are high as Mr Abdullah, known affectionately as Pak Lah by Malaysians, awaits to make his mark as Malaysia's new leader.

Mr Abdullah has said he will continue to uphold Vision 2020 -- Dr Mahathir's programme to transform Malaysia into a developed nation.

The new leader's assets include his vast public service experience. He has served in a spectrum of ministries ranging from defence to foreign affairs and education.

And though he has admitted he is less well-versed in economics, business leaders are upbeat about his ability to tackle this area.

"He is a profound thinker. It's very nice someone who's in power, leading the country who you feel thinks things through. It's really reassuring," said Charon Mokhzani, Legal Practitioner & Partner, Zaid Ibrahim & Co.

Other factors in Mr Abdullah's favour are his clean image as well as his strong Islamic credentials.

The son of an Islamic scholar, he majored in Islamic studies at University Malaya.

Political watchers say his strong appeal for Muslim voters will pose a challenge to Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), which now controls the states of Terengganu and Kelantan.

Political scientist Farish Noor said: "It would mean for the first time, PAS would be confronted by an UMNO leader who knows his religion very well, who would be able to take on the religious leaders of PAS and the Islamic opposition in general on their own terms."

But first, analysts say, Mr Abdullah has to stem the tide of voter dissatisfaction with his party - UMNO - the lynchpin of the ruling National Front coalition.

UMNO has been weakened by allegations of money politics and corruption, which caused the Malay ground to shift in favour of the opposition in the last general election.

So the challenge is whether the man known as the "Mr Nice Guy" of Malaysian politics can bring about the required reform and rejuvenation.

"He can transform UMNO or UMNO can transform him. Something will have to give. I hope, I think people pray that he can transform UMNO," said political economist Prof K S Jomo.

"I'm afraid the converse will be true. You can't change the system without fundamental reforms which I don't think he's strong enough to undertake," he added.

But there are those who are confident Mr Abdullah can rise up to the challenge.

Commented Prof Emeritus Khoo Kay Kim, a historian at University Malaya: "What Mr Badawi can do of course is that he has sufficient good people around him. No leader, not even Dr Mahathir can stand by himself. Every leader relies of people around him and if he picks people who are good, he would be able to handle the problems."

It is also inevitable that the styles of both Dr Mahathir and his successor will be compared.

While Dr Mahathir is outspoken and confrontational, Mr Abdullah is seen as quieter, a team player.

Many analysts feel Mr Abdullah will try to make his own mark and chart his own agenda, a move believed to be politically and tactically wiser.

And there will be no easing-in for the new premier, as within a year of his taking up the post, and possibly much sooner, the mega-challenge he will face will be the country's General Election. - CNA