Thesun 2009-04-07 Page02 Tee Keat Submits Names For Cabinet Line-up To Pm

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theSun

| TUESDAY APRIL 7 2009

news without borders Ballot boxes sent by air and river to interior

Tee Keat submits names for cabinet line-up to PM Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak. “It’s not true ... the government must be represented by party leaders, so only those who are party leaders are qualified to be in the government and, secondly, it is the prime minister’s prerogative to appoint his people (to the cabinet),” he told reporters after launching a Buy Malaysian Goods campaign at the LRT station yesterday. Last week, Shahrir, who is also Johor Baru

Umno division head, tendered his resignation as a cabinet minister, effective tomorrow, after failing to retain his Umno supreme council seat in the party elections last month. Asked if he would accept any government post if offered, he said he would consider any possibility. “For me, it’s okay if there is or there isn’t (a post) ... people like me in the party must be prepared to accept any post, not only that in the cabinet,” he said. – Bernama

BN youth bought our t-shirts, says PAS TAIPING: PAS claims that Barisan Nasional youth have bought 400 PAS t-shirts to create confusion among PAS members and supporters. Its deputy election director, Datuk Mustafa Mohd Ali, said the BN youth were trying to disguise as PAS members to create problems during the PAS ceramah. Asked to comment on the estimated turnout of 1,500 at a BN function attended by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Mustafa said that one should not give importance to a “staged crowd which does not reflect the true picture of the voters’ mood at the ground level”.

Don’t hold victory procession, warn police SUNGAI PETANI: Police have advised party candidates and supporters not to hold any procession after the announcement of the Bukit Selambau by-election results. Kedah police chief Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said yesterday they should respect the byelection results and not create any trouble. “Police will take stern action against any group holding a victory march and acting provocatively as this can result in fights,” he told reporters here. Syed Ismail allso advised the public not to hand over their identity cards to unknown persons at the polling booths today. – Bernama

BERNAMAPIX

TAIPING: MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat said he has submitted a list of names to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak to be considered for cabinet appointments. “I met the prime minister this morning. We have an hour-long talks, very meaningful but unfortunately, I can’t reveal it to you. “I did submit a list containing names, in accordance with party hierarchy and their status as member of Parliament,” he told reporters after making a house-to-house campaign at Simpang New Village here yesterday. He declined to reveal the number of names on the list. Asked on talks that the current four ministerial posts allocated to MCA would be reduced in the new cabinet line-up, Ong said: “I don’t have prior knowledge on the size of the cabinet or how many portfolios we are going to get”. “At this juncture, there is no point for us to speculate,” he said. Apart from Ong, who is transport minister, other MCA leaders holding cabinet posts are its vice-presidents Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (Health) and Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen (Women, Family and Community Development), and former secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan (Housing and Local Government). Najib is expected to announce his cabinet line-up within a week of taking office last Friday. Analysts said the cabinet announcement could be as early as tomorrow or Thursday. There are 32 members in the cabinet in 27 ministries, with almost two-thirds making up of appointees from Umno, the largest component in the 13-member ruling Barisan Nasional (BN). In KUALA LUMPUR, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad dismissed the assumption that he is resigning from the cabinet because of a fallout with

LUBOK ANTU: The Election Commission (EC) has transported 11 ballot boxes, four by air and the rest by river, to the remote areas of the Batang Ai state constituency inaccessible by road. Sarawak EC director Takun Sunggah said rain over the last few days had left several roads submerged in floodwaters and cut off the land route to these remote areas. The airlifted ballot boxes were destined for the most remote areas of Ulu Engkari, Ulu Lemanak, Nanga Aup and Nanga Kumpang, he said. Many of the longhouses in the 1,341 sq km constituency can only be reached by river and the boat rides can take three to eight hours, depending on the water level and current. – Bernama

First day in office Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak signs the desk file on the first day in office as the prime minister on the 5th floor of the Prime Minister’s Department at Putrajaya yesterday. Najib was sworn as the 6th prime minister on Friday after Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tendered his resignation. Abdullah officially handed over the desk fIle to Najib.

I will always be accountable for my decisions: Najib » From Front Page and detail whether that is helpful to the government or not.” Najib said personal attacks have undermined public confidence in the political process and have done nothing to bring Malaysians closer to achieving the goals for the country. “I’ve endured my fair share of these from some quarters of the media. I will always stand up and be accountable for the decisions I make as your prime minister,” he said, adding that false accusations against national leaders “are deeply damaging to the nation’s political discourse and international reputation”. “So, today, I call on all parties, all political leaders and all people who want to engage in a new national conversation about the future of our nation – including the media - to do so in a way that respects opinions of others; that

values discussion and discourse; and that recognises that opponents need not be enemies, that differences of opinion do not come from malicious motives, but from a deep and abiding concern for the future of Malaysia.” “Together, as we focus on the most pressing needs of our country, I hope that such colourful reporting will be consigned to history. It too often presents a world that bears no resemblance to reality and only serves to damage the public discourse we truly need,” he said. At the function, Najib presented the Kajai Award to Berita Harian reporter Jalal Ali Mohd Abd Rahim for his report on 20 Malalysian women trapped (dikurung) by drug lords in Spain. Jalal, who received RM24,000 in cash, a gold medal and a certificate, was among the 12 award winners at the event.

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Don’t be hoodwinked by Opposition: Pairin Up to 10 Umno ministers may be left out pg 7

LUBOK ANTU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has reminded the voters in the Batang Ai state constituency not to be hoodwinked by the opposition parties. At a meet-the-people session at the Nanga Jela longhouse here yesterday, the Sabah deputy chief minister said the opposition parties were only good at making promises, not fulfilling them. “Based on our experience in the past, the opposition leaders cannot be trusted,” he said. On the other hand, the Barisan Nasional (BN) government had been proven to be a party able to look after the interest of the people, including those in Sabah and Sarawak. Some 8,000 voters are eligible to vote in today’s by-election, which sees a straight fight between BN’s Malcolm Mussen Lamoh and PKR’s Jawah Gerang. – Bernama