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Moderate Islam Comes Out on Top in Malaysian Polls
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was headed for a landslide election win on Sunday as unofficial results showed his brand of moderate Islam had vanquished the Islamist opposition. At the end of a campaign dominated by the role of Islam in the multi-faith nation, Abdullah’s ethnically mixed Barisan Nasional coalition appeared set to win all of Malaysia’s 13 provincial assemblies, according to unofficial reports. "It looks like we’ve made a lot of gains in the Green Belt," a senior government source told Reuters, referring to northern Malay-dominated states where Islam’s influence is strongest.
Wonder if that has something to do with actually having to live with shariah...
Reports cited by state run television channel TV3 said the Barisan Nasional alliance, led by Abdullah’s United Malays National Organization (UMNO) had scored victories in Kelantan and Terengganu states. "It’s touch and go in Kelantan," said the source, referring to the reported coalition victory in Kelantan -- a state held by the opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) since 1990. "It will be a huge, huge bonus for us if its true."

Financial markets had already priced in a victory for the government, with surges in both stocks and bonds, but the scale of Abdullah’s victory surprised even optimists. "That’s absolutely fantastic. It gives a very strong and clear mandate to Abdullah," said Rajeev Malik, an economist at JP Morgan Chase in Singapore. "It also shows Abdullah’s popularity is on the rise and international investors will be very happy as it adds more stability to his economic program."
Looks like a setback for the fundamentalists in Malaysia.
Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-03-21
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=28728