| Submit your comments on this article |
| Southeast Asia |
| Malaysia ruling coalition suffers surprise upset |
| 2008-03-09 |
| KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia’s opposition threatened on Saturday to hand the ruling coalition its biggest upset in 40 years by winning the northern industrial state of Penang, putting the prime minister’s political future at risk. The multi-racial National Front coalition is almost certain to get a majority and form the government at the federal level, but it was as yet uncertain of retaining the two-thirds majority it has held for most of its five-decade-long rule. ‘It’s bad. They have lost Penang,’ a source close to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told Reuters just two and a half hours after polling booths closed at 0900 GMT. ‘It’s a perfect storm,’ he added. ‘Big guns are falling all over the place.’ The chief minister of Penang conceded defeat and said he would hand over power to the opposition, one of the state’s opposition leaders said. ‘He has contacted the governor. He respected the wishes of the people and hoped there are no untoward incidents,’ said Chow Kon Yeow, head of the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) in Penang, which was set to lead the new government in the state. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 An none too subtle message that non-Muslims don't like having Sharia shoved down their throats. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-03-09 10:22 |