Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was sworn in as Malaysia’s sixth prime minister Friday, taking over from Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who stepped down after leading the country for over five years.
Najib 55, took his oath of office before Yang di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at Istana Negara.
Dressed in a black baju Melayu complete with sampin, Najib arrived at the palace, accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. Together they entered the Balairong Seri at 10am, followed by Abdullah and his wife, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah.
A total of 319 guests, including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, attended the historic event.
The ceremony, steeped in tradition, began when Tuanku Mizan and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Zahirah entered the throne room at 10.05am and the national anthem was played by the Malaysian Armed Forces band.
After taking his oaths of office, loyalty and confidentiality, Najib signed the four instruments of appointment, followed by the reading of the doa selamat.
The instruments of appointment were then signed by Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff as witness and handed over to Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan.
At the same ceremony, Abdullah was conferred the nation’s highest award, the Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara (SMN), while Jeanne received the Seri Setia Mahkota (SSM) by Tuanku Mizan. Both awards carry the title Tun.
The handing over of the Prime Minister’s duties from Abdullah to Najib took place about 4.50pm at the fifth floor of the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya
At the ceremony, Abdullah handed to Najib the Prime Minister’s blue desk file to signify the official handing over of duties and responsibilities.
Najib was born in Kuala Lipis, Pahang, on July 23, 1953, and is the eldest son of the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, the nation’s second prime minister, and Tun Rahah Mohd Noah.
His appointment is most significant in the country’s history in that this is the first time that a prime minister’s son is holding the post.
His leadership capability began to surface when he was elected Pekan Umno division Youth head in 1976 and he went on to become the country’s youngest Member of Parliament at the age of 22 when he won the Pekan seat unopposed in a by-election following his father’s death.
He then went from strength-to-strength in politics and Government to reach the pinnacle as Umno president and Malaysia’s prime minister. - Bernama
Friday, April 3, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Power handover begins (Updates)
10:57AM PM leaves the palace, winds down the car window and waves to the press.
09:59AM PM arrives at Istana Negara
09:55AM King arrives at Istana Negara
The transition of power from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak begins Thursday as he has an audience with the King to seek permission to resign.
Reporters and a small group of people gathered outside the palace as Abdullah drove in to meet the Yang diPertuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin who had arrived minutes earlier.
Abdullah did not stop to speak to the press.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak will be sworn in as the sixth prime minister on Friday in a planned power transition that has been one year in the making.
The king has already consented to Najib's appointment, the government's chief secretary, Mohamad Sidek Hassan, had said.
Abdullah, who became the the country’s fifth premier in October 2003, was pressured to step down after the ruling National Front coalition suffered its worst results in the March 8 general elections last year when it lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
09:59AM PM arrives at Istana Negara
09:55AM King arrives at Istana Negara
The transition of power from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak begins Thursday as he has an audience with the King to seek permission to resign.
Reporters and a small group of people gathered outside the palace as Abdullah drove in to meet the Yang diPertuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin who had arrived minutes earlier.
Abdullah did not stop to speak to the press.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak will be sworn in as the sixth prime minister on Friday in a planned power transition that has been one year in the making.
The king has already consented to Najib's appointment, the government's chief secretary, Mohamad Sidek Hassan, had said.
Abdullah, who became the the country’s fifth premier in October 2003, was pressured to step down after the ruling National Front coalition suffered its worst results in the March 8 general elections last year when it lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Penang appoints Candiah to boost state and PDC
Fixed-income securities specialist Julian Candiah has been appointed special adviser to the Chief Minister and deputy general manager I of the Penang Development Corporation (PDC).
The appointment was effective yesterday.
Born in Bukit Mertajam, Candiah had previously worked at international investment banks such as Credit Suisse Financial Products, Bear Stearns, J.P. Morgan, Merrill Lynch and BNP Paribas in London, Hong Kong and Singapore.
His responsibilities included the management of senior-level client relationships with major banks, corporations, investment funds and government entities.
“Julian has a wide range of experience to help the state chart new frontiers and areas concerning venture capital and drawing funds,” said Lim.
Candiah, 41, graduated with first-class honours in engineering and has a Master’s degree in manufacturing engineering from Cambridge University.
He was also a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust scholar.
After 14 years in the banking industry predating the current financial and economic crisis, Candiah ventured into private enterprise. He is currently a partner in several private equity firms and other companies with regards to investments and financial transactions.
“Julian will provide suggestions and carry out programmes that can help transform the state into an international city that is globally competitive, based on excellence and a knowledge-based economy,” Lim said.
“His expertise can assist in attracting new investments into the state.”
Lim said Candiah’s ability would help transform PDC into a competitive company, on par with government-linked companies and other top multi-national companies and private companies.
“At the same time, his experience will also help PDC general manager Datuk Rosli Jaafar immensely in carrying out a restructuring exercise,” he said.
The appointment was effective yesterday.
Born in Bukit Mertajam, Candiah had previously worked at international investment banks such as Credit Suisse Financial Products, Bear Stearns, J.P. Morgan, Merrill Lynch and BNP Paribas in London, Hong Kong and Singapore.
His responsibilities included the management of senior-level client relationships with major banks, corporations, investment funds and government entities.
“Julian has a wide range of experience to help the state chart new frontiers and areas concerning venture capital and drawing funds,” said Lim.
Candiah, 41, graduated with first-class honours in engineering and has a Master’s degree in manufacturing engineering from Cambridge University.
He was also a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust scholar.
After 14 years in the banking industry predating the current financial and economic crisis, Candiah ventured into private enterprise. He is currently a partner in several private equity firms and other companies with regards to investments and financial transactions.
“Julian will provide suggestions and carry out programmes that can help transform the state into an international city that is globally competitive, based on excellence and a knowledge-based economy,” Lim said.
“His expertise can assist in attracting new investments into the state.”
Lim said Candiah’s ability would help transform PDC into a competitive company, on par with government-linked companies and other top multi-national companies and private companies.
“At the same time, his experience will also help PDC general manager Datuk Rosli Jaafar immensely in carrying out a restructuring exercise,” he said.
Ministry gives most aid to PR-led states
The poor in the Pakatan Rakyat-led states topped the list of those receiving aid from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
“We are giving more to the Opposition-led states. There is no favouritism here and this is shown in our statistics for Projek Cari, a special project launched to reach out to the poor,” said Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.
Of the 128,944 poor nationwide who had applied for aid under Projek Cari, only 54,671 were approved, she said.
Dr Ng added that 27,629 had been rejected and 46,644 applications were still pending.
Perak topped the list with 4,974 who had received welfare under Projek Cari from October to March.
Following Perak was Kedah with 4,254 new cases, Selangor (4,092), Kelantan (3,454), Penang (2,363), Pahang (2,281), Sabah (2,218), Johor (1,866), Negri Sembilan (1,653), Malacca (1,358), Sarawak (1,005) and Perlis (594).
She said that Projek Cari was now trying to trace other poor persons as the second economic stimulus package had provided more funds for the ministry.
She also said that the Budget allocated for welfare under her ministry from 2006-2008 had increased from RM350mil to RM850mil this year. She added that the ministry would review on a yearly basis those earning below RM720 a month.
While every state government would have its own welfare policy, Dr Ng said the ministry had a holistic and consistent policy for all the states and did not interfere with the states.
She said this in response to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who announced that each of the 728 hardcore poor families identified in the state would have an income of at least RM500 per month.
She added that the federal funds allocated to Penang had increased and her ministry was still looking out for the poor in the state.
Apart from allocating RM2.249mil for 9,720 poor Penangites in the first two months of the year, the ministry also traced an additional 2,363 poor Penangites through Projek Cari.
They were classified as new cases and a total of RM703,570 was disbursed to them.
Of the 2,363 people, 555 were Malay men 353 Chinese men, 167 Indian men, 711 Malay women, 354 Chinese women and 223 Indian women, said Dr Ng.
“We are giving more to the Opposition-led states. There is no favouritism here and this is shown in our statistics for Projek Cari, a special project launched to reach out to the poor,” said Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.
Of the 128,944 poor nationwide who had applied for aid under Projek Cari, only 54,671 were approved, she said.
Dr Ng added that 27,629 had been rejected and 46,644 applications were still pending.
Perak topped the list with 4,974 who had received welfare under Projek Cari from October to March.
Following Perak was Kedah with 4,254 new cases, Selangor (4,092), Kelantan (3,454), Penang (2,363), Pahang (2,281), Sabah (2,218), Johor (1,866), Negri Sembilan (1,653), Malacca (1,358), Sarawak (1,005) and Perlis (594).
She said that Projek Cari was now trying to trace other poor persons as the second economic stimulus package had provided more funds for the ministry.
She also said that the Budget allocated for welfare under her ministry from 2006-2008 had increased from RM350mil to RM850mil this year. She added that the ministry would review on a yearly basis those earning below RM720 a month.
While every state government would have its own welfare policy, Dr Ng said the ministry had a holistic and consistent policy for all the states and did not interfere with the states.
She said this in response to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who announced that each of the 728 hardcore poor families identified in the state would have an income of at least RM500 per month.
She added that the federal funds allocated to Penang had increased and her ministry was still looking out for the poor in the state.
Apart from allocating RM2.249mil for 9,720 poor Penangites in the first two months of the year, the ministry also traced an additional 2,363 poor Penangites through Projek Cari.
They were classified as new cases and a total of RM703,570 was disbursed to them.
Of the 2,363 people, 555 were Malay men 353 Chinese men, 167 Indian men, 711 Malay women, 354 Chinese women and 223 Indian women, said Dr Ng.
Death after caning
Mystery surrounds the death of a nine-year-old pupil of SJK (C) Kampung Baru Tiong near here who died several hours after being caned on the back of his hands by a teacher.
Chan Qi Xian had complained of a severe headache after he was caned around noon on Tuesday for not doing his homework.
State Education Department director Datuk Abdullah Mohammad confirmed the case but was quick to add that the caning could not have possibly caused the boy’s death.
“I was told that the teacher caned the boy for failing to do his homework. That is a normal thing to do.
“His death is a mystery and we hope the post-mortem will be able to shed light on the actual cause of death,” he added.
Abdullah said the school authorities rushed the pupil to the Segamat Hospital when he complained of dizziness. They also contacted his parents.
When the boy’s condition deteriorated, doctors rushed Chan to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru.
However, it is learnt that the hospital authorities there told Qi Xian’s parents that his condition was critical and that he would not survive.
His parents then brought him home where he died at 3.30am yesterday.
Abdullah said that based on the headmaster’s report, Qi Xian did not suffer from any illnesses. “But we do not know if he had a medical condition,” he said.
Abdullah, who was away attending a meeting, said he would visit the school to talk to the teacher as well as other staff members about the incident.
Headmaster Lim Yan Ho refused to disclose details, adding that he had submitted a report to the state education department.
State police chief SAC I Datuk Osman Salleh said the boy could not have died due to the caning.
“It makes little sense to say that the death was due to the caning. We are doing our own investigations to see if the boy suffered from some medical condition,” he said.
He also advised parents to notify the school authorities if their children had medical problems. ”This will allow the school to have every pupil’s medical record.
“This way, we will be able to prevent untoward incidents, especially when disciplining them,” he said.
Qi Xian’s remains were brought to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital here yesterday morning for a post-mortem. It is learnt that the autopsy would only be carried out today.
In Johor Baru, state health department director Dr Mohd Khairi Yakub said they would investigate the allegation that the Sultanah Aminah Hospital had turned away Qi Xian.
Chan Qi Xian had complained of a severe headache after he was caned around noon on Tuesday for not doing his homework.
State Education Department director Datuk Abdullah Mohammad confirmed the case but was quick to add that the caning could not have possibly caused the boy’s death.
“I was told that the teacher caned the boy for failing to do his homework. That is a normal thing to do.
“His death is a mystery and we hope the post-mortem will be able to shed light on the actual cause of death,” he added.
Abdullah said the school authorities rushed the pupil to the Segamat Hospital when he complained of dizziness. They also contacted his parents.
When the boy’s condition deteriorated, doctors rushed Chan to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru.
However, it is learnt that the hospital authorities there told Qi Xian’s parents that his condition was critical and that he would not survive.
His parents then brought him home where he died at 3.30am yesterday.
Abdullah said that based on the headmaster’s report, Qi Xian did not suffer from any illnesses. “But we do not know if he had a medical condition,” he said.
Abdullah, who was away attending a meeting, said he would visit the school to talk to the teacher as well as other staff members about the incident.
Headmaster Lim Yan Ho refused to disclose details, adding that he had submitted a report to the state education department.
State police chief SAC I Datuk Osman Salleh said the boy could not have died due to the caning.
“It makes little sense to say that the death was due to the caning. We are doing our own investigations to see if the boy suffered from some medical condition,” he said.
He also advised parents to notify the school authorities if their children had medical problems. ”This will allow the school to have every pupil’s medical record.
“This way, we will be able to prevent untoward incidents, especially when disciplining them,” he said.
Qi Xian’s remains were brought to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital here yesterday morning for a post-mortem. It is learnt that the autopsy would only be carried out today.
In Johor Baru, state health department director Dr Mohd Khairi Yakub said they would investigate the allegation that the Sultanah Aminah Hospital had turned away Qi Xian.
Shahrir to quit on April 8 when new Cabinet is named
Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said his decision to quit as Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister will not affect the running of the government or cause embarrassment to anyone.
He said this was because the resignation was effective only from April 8 when incoming Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would announce his new Cabinet line-up.
He said it was unanimously decided at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting that the current ministers would automatically relinquish their posts when the new line-up was announced.
“Datuk Seri Najib is scheduled to leave for an overseas visit on April 9 so I expect the announcement to come a day earlier so the ministers will relinquish their posts on the same day that my resignation becomes effective,” he told a press conference at his ministry yesterday.
He said it was not necessary for the ministers to submit their resignation letters but he personally felt it was necessary to hand his letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during the meeting.
Asked whether Abdullah accepted his resignation, he said, there was confusion as to who should receive the letter.
“Technically, I can only hand my resignation to Datuk Abdullah since he is the Prime Minister but the letter is effective on April 8 when Datuk Seri Najib would already have taken over the leadership, so he (Abdullah) neither accepted nor rejected the letter,” he said.
Shahrir decided to quit as he felt it was unfair of him to hold the post after failing to get a seat in the Umno supreme council.
He said there were many talented MPs and leaders in Barisan Nasional who would be able to function equally effectively as the minister or even do better than him.
He said this was because the resignation was effective only from April 8 when incoming Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would announce his new Cabinet line-up.
He said it was unanimously decided at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting that the current ministers would automatically relinquish their posts when the new line-up was announced.
“Datuk Seri Najib is scheduled to leave for an overseas visit on April 9 so I expect the announcement to come a day earlier so the ministers will relinquish their posts on the same day that my resignation becomes effective,” he told a press conference at his ministry yesterday.
He said it was not necessary for the ministers to submit their resignation letters but he personally felt it was necessary to hand his letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during the meeting.
Asked whether Abdullah accepted his resignation, he said, there was confusion as to who should receive the letter.
“Technically, I can only hand my resignation to Datuk Abdullah since he is the Prime Minister but the letter is effective on April 8 when Datuk Seri Najib would already have taken over the leadership, so he (Abdullah) neither accepted nor rejected the letter,” he said.
Shahrir decided to quit as he felt it was unfair of him to hold the post after failing to get a seat in the Umno supreme council.
He said there were many talented MPs and leaders in Barisan Nasional who would be able to function equally effectively as the minister or even do better than him.
Najib to be sworn in as PM tomorrow
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin has given his consent for Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to be sworn in as Prime Minister tomorrow, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said.
In a statement issued here last night, Mohd Sidek said Tuanku Mizan had also consented to grant an audience to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib at 10am today for Abdullah to relinquish the post and seek consent to appoint Najib as the new Prime Minister.
Tuanku Mizan gave his consent after granting Abdullah an audience before the Cabinet meeting yesterday.
The King has given his consent for Najib to be presented his letter of appointment as Prime Minister and to take his oath of office, loyalty and confidentiality at Istana Negara at 10am tomorrow, the statement said. — Bernama
In a statement issued here last night, Mohd Sidek said Tuanku Mizan had also consented to grant an audience to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib at 10am today for Abdullah to relinquish the post and seek consent to appoint Najib as the new Prime Minister.
Tuanku Mizan gave his consent after granting Abdullah an audience before the Cabinet meeting yesterday.
The King has given his consent for Najib to be presented his letter of appointment as Prime Minister and to take his oath of office, loyalty and confidentiality at Istana Negara at 10am tomorrow, the statement said. — Bernama
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