By NNN-Bernama
Putrajaya : Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says he does not intend to reappoint ministers who lost in the 12th general election into the new Cabinet.
In an interview with Bernama TV at his official residence here Friday, he said the cabinet would make up of leaders of integrity and capable of implementing what had been planned and also comprise ministers from among the communities in the country.
“We have no intention of reappointing those who have lost,” he said when asked on the possibility of ministers who lost in the general election being reappointed.
Among ministers who lost were S. Samy Vellu in Sungai Siput, Shahrizat Abd Jalil in Lembah Pantai, Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin in Shah Alam and Zainuddin Maidin in Sungai Petani.
On development, Abdullah said he would give full emphasis on improving the implementation system and to ensure fairness in the distribution of facilities among the communities so that there would be no more dissatisfactions among the people.
The prime minister said he believed that the feeling of dissatisfaction, particularly in terms of distribution of facilities and projects, and the lack of support for the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the recent election, were interconnected.
“They did not object, they did not say they were not satisfied with the development plans, (but) they questioned their implementation; that has been their source of dissatisfaction,” he said.
Towards this end, Abdullah said he would focus his attention in the next four to five years to implementing the policies and projects decided by the government.
Abdullah said this when asked what he thought were the reasons behind the apparent lack of support particularly among the Malays, Chinese and Indians towards the BN in Saturday’s election as compared to the previous election in 2004.
On the need to be fair to all, Abdullah said, he would ensure it would be implemented smoothly and as best as possible in meeting the aspirations of the people.
He said he would also give priority to ensure the country is stable, peaceful and safe for all.
Eventhough the results of the 12th general election had not been as favourable to the BN, Abdullah said, he would make sure that the rule of law prevailed in the country.
“I shall implement and enforce the law because it is of utmost importance that the country remains peaceful and safe.
“If there is no peace and security, all sort of plans cannot be implemented smoothly and properly; this is the pre-condition that will enable the government to implement what it has planned to do,” he said.
On the strong support by Umno leaders and BN component parties after calls for his resignation, Abdullah said, he appreciated their show of support.
He said although the support had deteriorated compared to the 2004 election, it was still a strong majority as the coalition was only eight seats short of 148 seats required to achieve a two-third majority.
“This is still a trust, a mandate given to me… I will not shirk my responsibilities,” he said.
Asked on the implementation of mega projects in the country, Abdullah said they would go on as planned.
“Those are federal government’s projects which cover all states in Malaysia.
This is our responsibility to the states and I will not withdraw them. On the contrary, I will make sure that they are implemented as best as possible,” he said.