Government And Oppositions

Before reading this news on 1st June 2007,i would like to share some thoughts on our very own country.Besides animes and just playing games,i like viewing politic parties that control our states through nationwide.It was interesting to see who deserves the place to be in charge of a goverment plan such as Education,Drug Trafficking,Road Taxes Minister and so on.If your interested in politic talks and ideas,i would best let you read the followings.It's a source rellocated from Yahoo website.


Friday June 1, 5:54 PM

Conservatives take on reformers in Malaysian opposition party poll
(Kyodo) _ Malaysia's largest opposition party, the Pan Islamic Party, voted Friday to determine whether its new crop of leaders will be conservatives or reformers.

Over 1,100 delegates cast their votes on the sidelines of the party's three-day annual meeting that began Friday in Kota Baru, the capital of Kelantan, which is the only opposition-ruled state.

The election results will be announced Sunday at the end of the meeting.

The party election, which local media have dubbed as a fight between "young Turks" and "ulama" or religious teachers, will decide which team will lead the PAS, as the party is popularly known, to take on the ruling United Malays National Organization in the coming general election.

Some believe the general election might be called as early as this July, even though the current government's five-year term is not set to expire until early 2009.

In the last PAS election two years ago, the young Turks edged out the ulama following the party's disastrous performance in the 2004 general election, in which PAS seats in the lower house of Parliament fell to seven from 27 garnered in the 1999 election.
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The young Turks were heralded in with hopes that they would lift the party out of the doldrums.

They have tried to loosen up the party's image by staging pop concerts -- with men and women in their audience segregated -- and have toned down the party's Islamic state agenda.

But these moves did not go down well with the old guard.

In this year's election, the conservatives, whom the Sun newspaper said are "the vocal promoters and foremost agitators for Malaysia to become an Islamic state" are attempting a comeback.

With party president Abdul Hadi Awang winning his seat uncontested, all eyes are on who will fill the post of deputy president.

Incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa, a more forward-looking and media-friendly ex-lecturer who led the young Turks to victory two years ago, is facing off with Harun Taib, former head of the party's ulama wing.

The three vice president posts are also up for grab.

With the general election deemed just a whisker away, it is widely seen as crucial for PAS to elect a team that are able to cooperate with the other opposition parties, including the predominantly ethnic Chinese Democratic Action Party.

DAP withdrew from the Alternative Front, the opposition coalition, during the 2004 general election in protest over PAS' insistence to pursue the Islamic state agenda. That resulted in the DAP winning 20 seats in Parliament, up from just 10 seats.

Nasharudin's team is seen as more progressive and accommodative compared with the hardliners led by Harun.

In his opening speech, Hadi Awang said the party will work with the People's Justice Party or Keadilan that is led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the coming general election.

"With their cooperation, I believe the Alternative Front will be further strengthened and we can strive for a better victory compared to the previous general election," he said.

Ironically, even though Keadilan only has one seat in Parliament, the more urbane and sophisticated Anwar appears to have taken over the mantle as opposition leader due to his widespread appeal regardless of race.

Anwar is also the bridge linking PAS and DAP.

In a press conference after his opening speech, Hadi Awang tried to play down the contest between the two factions in his party.

"There is no divide between the ulama and the intellectuals in PAS. What is important is unity. I say there is a balance," he said.