ABDULLAH BELIEVES THERE WILL BE CONTINUITY UNDER NAJIB

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), March 31 (Bernama) -- Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said
Tuesday that he is convinced that Najib Tun Razak will continue to implement
ideas and programmes initiated during his administration after his deputy takes
over as the sixth prime minister of Malaysia.

"He will continue (with the projects)...I believe (that)...I just work on
the basis of believing that if you do something that is good, if you continue,
it will bring more good. I do not see any reason why it should be stopped," he
said before hosting a luncheon for editors of the mainstreams media here.

He said the programmes included the various development corridors and the
Islam Hadhari (Civilisational Islam) concept.

However, he said, Najib might see it fit to make adjustments to the
programmes as and when necessary.

Asked whether he would be angry if Najib did not continue with what he had
planned and implemented, as had happened with former prime minister Dr
Mahathir Mohamad he said: "No, I will not (be angry)."

Abdullah said he had spent hours talking to Najib on many issues pertaining
the country just like he had with Dr Mahathir before.

He said he would not criticise Najib and would be very supportive of the
government as he still had a role to play as a Member of Parliament.

Asked what role he would play after his retirement, Abdullah said he
preferred Najib to make the announcement.

On the actual date of the hand-over of the premiership, he said he did not
want to say anything more until he had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan
Agong (the King).

Asked whether he felt that he did not have time to complete all his
programmes during his six-year tenure as Prime Minister, he said his 2004
election manifesto contained initiatives leading towards the achievement of the
Vision 2020.

However he did not have any ambition to serve more than two terms or
the entire period until 2020 and be in a position to declare that Malaysia is
already a developed country.

"(But) I expect continuity (on) most of the things I have already started,"
he said.

A report on the initiatives and achievements of the government from November
2003 to March 2009 produced by the Prime Minister's Deparment were circulated to
the media later.

Abdullah was surprised when asked about his plan to live in a kampung
(village)-style house with a "perigi" (well) after his retirement.

"How did you know? There's a well but it's not deep," he said.

Abdullah also described the outcomes of the 2004 and 2008 general elections
as his greatest and worst achievements.

Abdullah, who is the Barisan Nasional (National Front) chairman, led the
coalition to its best-ever victory in March 2004 after being sworn in as the
fifth prime minister in October 2003, sweeping 199 of the 219 parliamentary
seats.

However, the ruling coalition lost for the first time in 39 years its
two-third majority in Parliament in March last year and lost control of four
state governments.

Asked whether his relationship with Dr Mahathir would have been better if
the government had not scrapped the plans to build the "crooked bridge" to
replace the Johor Causeway, Abdullah said he did not have a pre-conceived idea
on the matter before the decision was made to stop the project.

"We had to consider it...I didn't have a pre-conceived idea about it...that
I was going to stop it.

"This is one issue that has been brought up to the Cabinet time and again,"
he said, adding that the economy was in deficit during that time.

Abdullah also said that he had no regrets for promoting openness and freedom
during his tenure, but he warned that there must limitations.

"There must be some moral limits...or you will be creating a lot of
problems...creating anarchy. There must be self-control," he said.

Everyone must think before raising an issue openly because "everyone has
feelings and there are things that we must not bring up".
-- BERNAMA