Wednesday, March 19, 2008

New Cabinet & New Dilemma (Updated)

Radzi quits as Umno sec-gen

Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad quit as Barisan Nasional and Umno secretary-general on Wednesday.

He told reporters at the Putra World Trade Centre here that he was "unable to work effectively anymore".

Radzi said his decision to resign has been conveyed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has accepted it.

The former Home Affairs Minister was dropped from the new Cabinet line-up announced by Abdullah on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, speculations are rife that dropped Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz would be stepping down from her Wanita Umno chief post today.

Rafidah Aziz is calling for an urgent press conference at the ministry this afternoon, where she is widely expected to make the announcement.

Abdullah did not offer any reason for dropping Rafidah from the cabinet. He however said that it was time for someone new to replace her. (source: Malaysiakini)

Two deputy ministers appointed yesterday, Tengku Azlan Abu Bakar and Datuk Anifah Aman, have thrown a tantrum and declined to take up their appointments, claiming they are "senior enough" to be made full ministers.

The two Umno members of parliament met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after the announcement of the cabinet line-up, but were firmly told that he had picked the best people for the cabinet.

Tengku Azlan Abu Bakar and Datuk Anifah Aman met with the Prime Minister at Sri Perdana in Putrajaya to decline their new postings after the Cabinet line-up announcement yesterday.

Tengku Azlan when contacted last night confirmed that he had declined the Deputy Foreign Minister’s post since “I have not moved up the ladder”.

“I was a deputy minister for two terms and since I cannot go any further, I feel it is time to move on.

“It is a normal reaction for anybody to look elsewhere when they are not going anywhere,” he said. Tengku Azlan previously served as the Deputy Transport Minister.

Anifah, who was to be appointed as Deputy Tansport Minister, told Bernama:

“I have already been a Deputy Minister for two terms and I feel it’s time for me to make way for a younger person to hold this post.” (Source: TheStar)

In another incident, on the day when she was being named the new Deputy Human Resources Minister, Datuk Noraini Ahmad was at the police station lodging a break-in report.

She incurred losses amounting to RM12,000 when two men broke into her Toyota Estima and stole her laptop and stereo set yesterday (Source: NST)

The MB Saga continues. The much anticipated swearing-in ceremony of the Terengganu Mentri Besar did not materialise yesterday despite assemblymen being asked to be on standby.

State officials were also told to be ready but at 6.45pm there was still no instruction from the higher-ups. (Source: TheStar)

All's well that ends well may not be well.

***


UPDATE: 5.12PM

Rafidah Aziz said she will not relinquish her Umno Wanita chief post in the wake of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s decision not to include her in the new cabinet line-up.

"I will not resign, I will continue to head the Wanita (wing)," she told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

Rafidah also expressed shock for being excluded from the cabinet line-up and wished Abdullah had informed her about this earlier.

Rafidah also confirmed that she had penned a 16-page letter to the prime minister after Barisan Nasional’s disastrous performance in the elections.

(Source: Malaysiakini)


UPDATE: Tengku Adnan is the new Umno sec-gen

Tengku Adnan Mansor will replace Radzi Sheikh Ahmad as the Umno secretary general.

Tengku Adnan, dropped by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi from the cabinet yesterday, told New Straits Times that he was informed by Abdullah yesterday about his new role in the party.

“I am grateful for the appointment. I was informed by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Tuesday morning before he announced the new cabinet,” the daily quoted Tengku Adnan as saying.

There is still no news as to who would replace Radzi as the BN secretary general.

14 comments:

Jefus said...

Can you remember chinese acrobatics shows where a nublie pubescent girl is balancing on one leg, on a pole,straddled between two other persons, spinning a dozen bowls on sticks?

well take that girl out and put in AAB.

Gukita said...

"All's well that ends well may not be well"
...errr - jump in the well.

Anonymous said...

Heard Monkey King is also resigning from Deputy Youth Chief post. Don't know how far it is true.

Also Kak Pah apparently wrote a 5-6 page thingy to the sleepy PM why he should not put KJ in the lineup.

This development of events are certainly getting interesting!

warrior2 said...

Some of us work for the rakyat, for the country, some for the party, some for ourselves, some dont work at all!

Radzi is an example of a sore loser, who work for himself.The moment he is dropped, he DROPS everything! No telurs.
God is fair. If i understood what transpired before and after election crrectly as far as little Perlis is concern, he got exactly what he did to Shahidan

Anonymous said...

BN is on its way to oblivion. Shall be buriied by the "irrelevant" man. What an irony. Now, we shall know who is irrelevant.

Anonymous said...

A rookie like Noraini also can afford to own a Toyota Estima.... dahsyatnya!

Arena Green said...

Pak Lah seems to enjoy being controversial ...

CK said...

haha... chong is correct correct correct.

anyway, things are definitely getting more and more interesting.

definitely wanna read the letter tat kak dah wrote...anyone have?

radzi merajuk dah. tengku adnan pulak? macam consolation prize je ni???

the show GOTTA go on!

Anonymous said...

its really baffling. for a guy who is implicated in the serious judiciary scandal, he is now sec gen of UMNO?Something is seriously wrong in the house of denmark?

Maverick SM said...

Jefus,

Nice joke!

Gukita,

You got a better idea.

Msiaman,

Kak Pah wrote 16 pages.

Warrior2,

You may be right if you justify it from the eyes of Pak Lah and Khairy.

Chong,

Oh, she's from rich family...

Anak Merdeka,

He doesn't; but he has to.

CK Tan,

I don't think things are getting interesting. I think it's getting insidious and chaotic.

It may test the peaceful fabricates.

Anonymous said...

Looks like Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, Nek Fidah and the other dumped umno trash would soon cross over to BR, as claimed by Anwar

Anonymous said...

Looks like Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, Nek Fidah and the other dumped umno trash would soon cross over to BR, as claimed by Anwar

Unknown said...

msiaman said...
Heard Monkey King is also resigning from Deputy Youth Chief post. Don't know how far it is true.
----------------------------------------------

monkey boy became ape already?

Maverick SM said...

Ling Ling Chatt,

He's going to be backbencher chairman and appointed to various GLCs.